


Journey of the Huntress

by ParisWriter



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: Adventure, Coming of Age, Drama, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Mists of Pandaria
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-05-06 17:34:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 47,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5425796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParisWriter/pseuds/ParisWriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A young hunter must prove herself as a capable warrior in the uncharted wilds of Pandaria while on a mission of great political and personal significance. The mission: to find the Prince of Stormwind and bring him home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Two hundred ships at my disposal, yet the one carrying _my son_ goes missing!"

The angry voice of King Varian Wrynn emanated from the war room of Stormwind Keep, echoing out into the throne room and beyond as he shouted in frustration. A loud thud followed, and anyone who knew of the king's sometimes volatile temper made a wide arc around the doorway leading into the room where he was meeting with one of his military advisors and a high-ranking member of SI:7. One person, however, remained resolute in standing just outside the doorway in order to listen in on the rest of the conversation – despite the fact that the sound of what she imagined to be the king's fist coming down upon the table sporting a tactical map of Azeroth had startled her, causing her to jump and let out a soft gasp.

She continued to listen in as the king demanded to hear the last message sent by Admiral Taylor, whose ship the prince had been on for his diplomatic mission. She could barely understand the garbled, static-filled transmission but was able to pick out enough to make out that Anduin was safe in spite of the wreckage caused by an unexpected attack from a Horde air fleet. A relieved sigh escaped her lips at the same time she heard the king utter his son's name, but their moment of relief was short-lived.

"Surprise attack!" she heard Taylor's voice call out urgently. "Requesting immediate... If anyone's receiving..."

The transmission seemed to go dead at that point, and she could feel her heart hammering wildly in her chest in panic. A soft whine came from her side and she looked to the large grey wolf sitting next to her. He had been able to sense his mistress' distress and was looking at her with concerned eyes. She forced a smile and reached out to gently pat her companion's head, even as she returned her attention to the conversation going on within the war room. She heard the king giving orders to send an elite task force to go to the last known location of Taylor's ship and search for his son, followed by Rell Nightwind's assent and assurance that he would see to it the best men were sent on the mission and that they would set out before nightfall.

She wasn't at all surprised when the purple-haired night elf stopped just outside the doorway upon exiting the war room, his head turned slightly in her direction. He gave a brief nod, indicating she should walk with him, and she fell in step at his side with her wolf bringing up the rear. They walked in silence through the throne room, and it wasn't until they were halfway down the main corridor of the castle – and well out of earshot of the king – when the elven rogue finally spoke.

"You really shouldn't eavesdrop on other people's conversations," he admonished her in his deep voice, his eyes remaining forward.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but SI:7 is a group of spies. Isn't that sort of what we do?"

"You are _not_ a member of SI:7, and this entire ordeal is none of your concern."

His firm tone caused her to stop in her tracks and she reached out to grasp his arm, forcing him to a halt. He turned to look at her, and his glowing eyes narrowed as he met her gaze.

"This _is_ my concern," she corrected him, her green eyes never breaking the contact between them. "Rell... It's _Anduin_."

He sighed and turned away from her, reaching up to gently remove her hand from his arm before continuing on his way out of the castle.

"I know you and the prince sometimes played together as children, but that does not mean you have a right to demand a place on this team, Larraine."

Larraine moved quickly to cut off the much taller man, a piece of her light auburn hair falling into her eyes. Her wolf, meanwhile, quickly stepped to her side and let out a low growl. Rell gave the animal an almost threatening look, though it refused to back down, then he turned his gaze toward the young girl before him.

"This is not up for debate," he insisted, annoyed that she would think he would just give his consent to allow her to join his team for such an important mission.

"I'll go to Mathias," she threatened, straightening her posture in a defiant manner. Rell started to grind his teeth together, holding back a growl of his own even as the wolf at her side continued to let out a low rumbling of its own.

"Be my guest," he told her, gesturing to the road leading away from the keep and toward Old Town, where the headquarters of SI:7 was located. She appeared taken aback by the ease at which he gave in, blinking rapidly a few times before giving a single nod and turning on her heel to head in the direction of their home within the great city of Stormwind.

Rell knew what she expected to happen. She expected that Shaw would easily agree to her request. After all, she had become somewhat of a favorite of his since they took her in after the death of her father – likely due to the master assassin having been a long-time friend and mentor to her mother. However, Rell also knew that since the guild master _did_ have legal guardianship over Larraine he would want to keep her out of danger and therefore wouldn't be too keen on the idea of her going into uncharted territory where they already knew they would be facing Horde forces in addition to whatever native peoples might try to prevent them from accomplishing their mission. Not only would the mission be dangerous, but the girl was hardly qualified to accompany them as a representative of SI:7. She was an excellent archer, yes, and her skills in tracking were quite impressive, but she wasn't trained in the same skills as the other members of the organization. She wasn't a rogue, after all, but a hunter – and hunters were not known for their subtlety.

As soon as they reached the small courtyard outside of headquarters, Larraine's wolf took off in the direction of the stables to play with the stable master, who would often give him treats for performing special tricks. Rell and Larraine, meanwhile, made their way inside and up to the office of Master Mathias Shaw without a word passing between them. Rell moved quickly to open the door for her as they reached the small room near the top of the tower staircase, refusing to allow his sense of chivalry to be compromised by his current feelings toward the younger woman. Larraine quietly thanked him, a small smile crossing her lips, but a moment later her resolve had hardened once more and she strode purposefully into the room ahead of him.

"I had a feeling you would be coming, Larraine," Shaw said without turning around.

"She seems to think she'll be going along on the mission," Rell grumbled as he rounded the desk to stand next to the guildmaster, "though I have repeatedly told her that won't be the case."

"I don't think that's really your decision to make, Nightwind," Shaw reminded him, leveling his gaze at his subordinate before turning around fully to look at Larraine.

"The prince is in danger, I take it?"

"Yes," Larraine replied, a light blush coloring her cheeks. "And-"

"And that is precisely why she shouldn't be allowed on this mission," Rell interrupted. "Her emotions will end up clouding her judgment."

Larraine looked down at her hands in front of her, the locks of her red hair which had come loose from her ponytail falling before her face. Shaw watched her in silent contemplation for a long moment, then quietly said her name to get her to look back up to him. He knew Rell was right. The reason she was so adamant about accompanying his people on their mission was because she cared about Anduin. However, she and the heir to the throne of Stormwind had known each other for years and despite the other man's insistence to the contrary, he knew that could potentially be an asset in their search.

"Why are you so determined to go with them?" he asked, wanting her to voice it herself. "If it merely is because of your feelings toward the boy, I must agree with Rell. I am, however, wiling to hear you out before making my final decision."

Larraine's gaze flickered to Rell briefly, then she met the eyes of the man before her once more. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and bowed her head for a few seconds to gather her thoughts before speaking.

"I _do_ care about Anduin," she admitted quietly. "But it's more than that. After my... After the Wrathgate, we made a promise to each other. We promised that if either of us needed the other, we'd be there. Now he's missing, Light knows where, with Horde and who knows what else closing in on him. If I don't go... If I don't at least _try_ to find him, I'm not holding up my end of the bargain."

She looked up at that, her gaze locking with that of the man her parents had entrusted her to. Shaw's usually unreadable expression softened a bit when he saw how hard she was trying to not cry as she no doubt relived the memory of losing her father. In that moment, he knew if he didn't let her go and something were to happen to the young prince she would never forgive herself and the ramifications of that would likely be worse than death itself.

"Very well," he assented after a long pause. "Rell, you will take Larraine with you as support."

"What?" Rell barked angrily. "Master Shaw, with all due respect, I don't think-"

"Are you questioning my orders, Nightwind?" Shaw asked, turning to the taller man. Though he wasn't imposing by his size, his hard gaze was enough to make even the staunchest of warriors feel a bit uneasy, and Rell immediately dropped his argument.

"No, Master Shaw," he said stiffly. "If you truly think she will be an asset out in the field, then I will welcome her help in retrieving Prince Anduin."

"You heard him," Shaw said, turning back to Larraine. "Now, you best get yourself ready to go before I change my mind."

"Thank you, Uncle Mathias!" Larraine said, addressing him by the friendly term of endearment she'd used since she was a small child. She quickly rounded his desk to give him a brief hug, then rushed from the room to gather the things she would need to take on her journey.

"I still think this is a bad idea," Rell muttered as soon as she had left the room. "She's too young, too inexperienced."

"She'll never _get_ more experienced if we continue to keep her cooped up here," Shaw pointed out. "That said, I'm not expecting you to put her on the front lines. Use her skills and her connection to the prince to your advantage, but take some of the others to make up your actual scouting team."

"I was planning to bring Sully and Amber," Rell informed him.

"Very well," Shaw agreed, making a note of which of his agents would be unavailable. "Take the sisters with you, too."

"Are you punishing me for talking out of line?" Rell wondered, balking at the suggestion. Shaw merely chuckled.

"I figure they could help keep Larraine occupied so that she doesn't constantly try to go out on her own looking for Anduin," he explained. "Besides, they're not _that_ bad are they?"

"Have you ever worked with them?" Rell asked, then continued when Shaw shook his head. "Bixby _never_ shuts up. Her sister is more quiet, but I've never been entirely comfortable around those who willingly use fel magics."

"Like I said, Rell, you're not expected to take them out scouting with you. Just take them along to help keep an eye on Larraine so she doesn't run off by herself."

"Are you sure you even want her to go? You seem to not want her to do anything once we arrive at the last known location of the missing fleet."

Shaw let out a sigh, placing his hands upon his desk and leaning over it a bit. "She's not the only one who made a promise. I swore to Ramona in her final moments that I would make sure nothing happened to Larraine. Still, she's fast becoming a young woman and I know I cannot hold onto her forever. So I'll let her go on this mission, but I want her to be kept out of danger as much as possible. Baby steps, as they say."

"I never thought I would see the day that Master Mathias Shaw – the man who spouts to all of our new recruits that emotional attachments are the bane of the best assassins – would be a father, but it seems you've grown into one in the last few years," Rell mused with a quiet chuckle. Shaw leveled a gaze at him, causing him to hold up a hand in apology as he brought his laughter under control. "Forgive me, but in all honesty I actually think it's a good thing. Sometimes, amidst all the spying and assassination, we forget that we're human."

"You're _not_ human, though," Shaw pointed out with a bit of a smirk.

"You know what I meant," Rell said, and Shaw nodded and returned his attention to the paperwork upon his desk.

"I do know, and I'd also thank you to keep my softer side quiet."

"Have to keep up that reputation you have of being a hardass, huh?" Rell asked good-naturedly as he began making his way to the door. "Not to worry, Mathias, I won't let the recruits know you have a heart hidden in there."

"Go get the others and head out, Nightwind," Shaw ordered brusquely, and Rell gave him a slight bow before leaving the office to go inform his team of their latest mission.


	2. Chapter 2

Larraine looked over the objects she had laid out on her bed, taking stock of everything to make sure she hadn't forgotten something before she started packing it all into her backpack. She had a couple of water skins; some dried fruits for herself and preserved meat for her wolf; a roll of bandages in case anyone got injured; her journal for making notes and plotting out maps; a full supply of arrows; and a hearthstone in case she needed to get back to Stormwind in an emergency situation. It seemed as though everything was there, but a part of her kept thinking something was missing.

"Potions!" she said to herself and left her room to go across the hall to where one of the newer recruits was staying. To her surprise, the door was open so she walked right in.

"Bixby, could I get some potions from you?" she requested, then stopped in her tracks when she noticed the sole occupant of the room wasn't the perky, pigtailed gnome who was usually there but a different gnome with black hair – though hers was also styled into two tails which stood high atop her head – and techno-goggles covering her eyes.

"What kind of potions do you need?" came a squeaky voice from under the bed, and Larraine looked over to see a box slide out from the space beneath it, followed by two pink pigtails, and finally the youthful face of the gnome she'd been looking for gazed up at her.

"Healing potions, mostly, but if you have some fire and frost potions I could use those, too."

Bixby nodded and pulled herself out from under her bed the rest of the way, then popped open the latches on the case she'd been retrieving and began rooting around inside of it.

"It's good you caught me before we left," Bixby chirped merrily as she began gathering together some potions into a small pouch, the vials clinking together.

"Where are you going?" Larraine wondered, her gaze moving to the other gnome in the room for a brief moment before she looked back to Bixby.

"We're going to the new land to look for the prince!" she announced excitedly, then she turned to look at a framed portrait of Varian Wrynn on the wall next to her bed. "Don't worry my sweet king, we'll bring him back safely."

"You're going, too?" the black-haired gnome asked, her voice quieter and slightly lower in pitch than Bixby's.

"I am," Larraine said with a nod, looking once more to Bixby, who was still staring at her prized portrait of the king with a dreamy look on her face. With a sigh, she stepped around the young rogue and went over to offer her hand to the stranger.

"I'm Larraine McAlister," she introduced herself. The gnome smiled politely and set aside the small mechanical device she was tinkering with, then wiped her hands off on a cloth before reaching out to shake Larraine's hand.

"Gardenia Tinkerfoot," she stated her name. "Bixby is my sister."

"So _you're_ the one she's told me about. It's nice to finally meet you, Ambassador," Larraine greeted her with a slight bow.

Gardenia cringed and drew her had away. "Please, don't call me that. Gardenia will be fine."

"Fair enough," Larraine agreed with a smile, then she nodded toward her sister. "You want to break her out of her trance or should I?"

Gardenia sighed and lowered herself out of the chair she had been sitting in, smoothed down the back of her robes, then marched over to her sister and unceremoniously slapped her up the backside of her head. Bixby let out a loud yelp in shock and pouted as she rubbed the spot where she'd been hit, turning her big green eyes to look up to the still-concealed gaze of her sibling, who was frowning in disapproval with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Stop drooling over that stolen painting and get a move on," she ordered, tapping her foot a bit. "Rell said we need to be leaving as soon as possible."

"Oh! Right! We have to save Anduin!" Bixby exclaimed, scrambling to her feet and carrying the pouch full of potions over to Larraine.

"Did you hear? We get to ride an airship!" She said as she handed the potions over before running back to the trunk to grab handfuls of herbs which she stuck in a pouch on her belt, speaking frantically as she moved. "It's going to be so much fun! I've never been on one before, have you? Deni has, and she doesn't really like them – do you, Deni? Which is weird, because she's a pilot, herself-"

"Wait, we're taking an _airship_?" Larraine cut her off when her brain finally processed the rapid-fire delivery of the young gnome.

"Mhm," Bixby relied with an enthusiastic nod. "Rell said it's hovering near the harbor, waiting for us."

"How am I supposed to get Fang up there?" Larrained worried.

"Fang?" Gardenia echoed, finally lifting up her goggles to reveal reddish-brown eyes and a light smattering of freckles just underneath them.

"Her pet wolf," Bixby explained. "He's _really_ big, but don't worry he's nice. His fur is _so_ soft, too, and he'll even dance with you!"

"Bixby!" Larraine nearly shouted to get her attention as she began rambling once more.

"Oh! Right, um..." her face scrunched up in thought as she scratched at her temple with one finger. "I'm pretty sure Deni can take him up there with her flying machine. Right, sis?" she asked, looking to her sister.

"I have a harness you can put on him and I'll take him up there for you," Gardenia informed Larraine with a nod, pushing the mass of black bangs out of her eyes as she crossed the room to retrieve her own packed bag and a scythe with a faintly-glowing blade.

"Is that safe?" Larraine asked her, and the gnome smiled at the obvious concern she had for her animal companion.

"It's completely safe, I assure you. I've already used it on several other hunters' pets and I daresay some of them even enjoyed it." With a confident grin, she took Larraine's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze before tugging on it a bit as she made her way toward the door. "Come on, let's get your things and you can help me get it set up."

"I'll be along in a bit!" Bixby called after them, and Gardenia stopped and turned to poke her head back into the room.

"You better be down there by the time I'm finished harnessing her wolf, or I'm going to tell the king where you got that portrait of him," she threatened, and Bixby paled and gave a single nod.

"Understood."

Larraine chuckled at the exchange. Most of the members of SI:7 knew Bixby was a bit of a collector of fine things, and that most of her personal treasures hadn't exactly been openly available for collecting. The portrait of Varian Wrynn in her room was something she had 'found' in a vault within Stormwind Keep during a ball the previous year. Shaw had yelled quite loudly when he discovered her acquisition, but she had given him what she believed to be a completely logical argument in reply. The painting was one of the old portraits of the king, which had since been replaced by a newer one, so she reasoned that it was better off with her where it would be cared for and admired on a daily basis rather than in some vault where no one would ever see it again and it would just collect dust. Shaw had reluctantly let her keep the painting, and though he wasn't above using it as leverage to get her to do things – much in the same way her sister seemed to – Larraine had a suspicion that he'd actually admitted the theft to Varian.

"Is this your room?" Gardenia asked as she pointed to Larraine's doorway, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Larraine nodded and went into the room, and Gardenia waited patiently while she packed the potions she'd gotten from Bixby with the rest of her supplies and then quickly put on the light chain armor that had been specially made for her. She honestly hoped it wouldn't have to be tested, but with the Horde most likely bearing down upon Anduin she was thoroughly aware that she was going to get at least some use out of it. Once she had finished pulling on her boots and her gloves, she hoisted her bag up onto one shoulder and her quiver onto the other, adjusting the straps so they were comfortable enough for her to carry at the same time. As she retrieved her longbow from where it was resting against a wall, she gave one last look about the room, mentally running through a checklist to be sure she had everything she would need. She then started to head out, but suddenly backtracked and went to her bed. She set aside her bow and lifted up the mattress with one hand, sweeping the other underneath to retrieve a silver dagger which she then hooked to her belt.

"I didn't think hunters used daggers," Gardenia mused when Larraine finally joined her at the doorway and the two of them began making their way down the long spiral staircase to the lower levels of the building.

"They don't," Larraine said. "This one belonged to my mother. It's sort of a good luck charm, I guess you could say."

"I understand," Gardenia remarked with a sage nod. "Bixby and I lost our parents when we escaped Gnomeregan."

"I think everyone's lost someone, especially in recent years," Larraine quietly observed.

"Well, we're not going to lose the prince, so don't worry," Gardenia assured her, looking up to smile at her. Larraine forced a smile in return, though her stomach was still churning nervously as a million scenarios played out in her mind of what sort of danger he could possibly be in. Horde soldiers, vicious wild animals, man-eating plants, rabid ten-foot-tall murlocs... there could be any number of possible hazards for him to face in the unknown territory where Admiral Taylor's fleet had been when they last made contact with the Alliance military.

With a sigh, she shook her head an instead forced herself to focus on the task at hand. As soon as they exited headquarters, she let out a sharp whistle and her wolf came running to her obediently and sat down as he awaited her instructions. He, too, noticed the unfamiliar gnome at her side and he looked to Larraine with his head tilted slightly in curiosity.

"This is Gardenia, Bixby's sister," she explained to him. "Gardenia, this is Fang."

"Um... Hello," Gardenia awkwardly greeted the animal, giving him a small wave. Fang stood back up and lowered his head to the ground in a sort of bow, which caused Larraine to smile proudly.

"He says he's glad to meet you," she translated, then called the wolf's name to get his attention.

"Gardenia here is going to put a harness on you so that she can use her flying machine to take you up to the airship we'll be boarding to go look for Anduin." The wolf shied away a bit and whined, and Larraine shook her head as she gave him a gentle smile. "Don't worry. She said it's perfectly safe, and that it's a lot of fun. If it's not, you can bite her when we get to the airship."

"What?!" Gardenia squeaked fearfully, looking from her to the wolf. Larraine let out a quiet chuckle.

"Don't worry, he only gives light nips... and he doesn't really have a taste for gnome flesh, so you should be safe so long as you don't try to harm me."

"Okay," Gardenia muttered with a hesitant nod before crossing the courtyard to where her small flying machine was, and Fang trotted off behind her with Larraine following the two of them. She climbed onto one of the landing skids and hoisted herself up so she could root around behind the pilot's seat, her short legs dangling a couple of feet off the ground. Once she located what she had been looking for, she hopped back down and blew her long bangs out of her face, then held out part of the soft leather harness to Larraine.

"Could you help me and put this on him while I attach the rest to the bottom of the cockpit?" she requested. Larraine nodded and took the harness from her, the set her things down and knelt next to Fang. He easily cooperated, and in no time she had placed the harness on him and adjusted the straps around his chest and abdomen so they were firmly holding him in place while hopefully still being comfortable.

"How's that?" she asked him and he gave a slight bark in approval.

"Okay, we're set!" Gardenia announced a moment later, tossing a wrench into the back of her flying machine before lowering her goggles back into place. "I'll head on up with him now, unless you'd rather I wait until you and Bixby are ready."

"You go ahead!" Bixby called as she ran over to them, her large, overstuffed pack audibly rattling as it bounced against her back. "We'll be right behind you!"

Gardenia nodded and climbed into the cockpit of her flying machine, then fiddled with the various levers and controls before starting it up. The engines sparked to life almost instantly, and Larraine briefly shied away from the loud noise of the propellers. She heard Fang whine once more and assured him he would be fine and she would be right behind him, then stepped back to allow Gardenia enough room to take off and watched as the machine slowly rose into the air, carefully lifting Fang up off the ground and to a height where he wouldn't hit any of the buildings or trees they would be passing over en route to where the Skyfire was docked and awaiting their arrival.

"Come on, Larraine!" Bixby urged, grasping her hand and giving it an eager tug once the flying machine had begun to fly off toward the docks. "We have a prince to go save!"


	3. Chapter 3

Larraine had been nine years old when she first found her faithful wolf. He was just a cub, and one of his back legs had been caught in a trap set up by Ma Stonefield in one of her many attempts to be rid of Princess the pig. Larraine freed him from the trap, bandaged his broken leg, and begged her father to let her keep him as a pet. Being a devoted parent who gave her everything he could to make her happy, her father had easily given in to her request with the stipulation that she would have to take care of her new pet herself. She was more than happy to comply, and made sure to feed and care for the pup every day. She also started training it to do tricks and taught it to play fetch, and soon the two were inseparable.

One day, not long after her tenth birthday, her father took her to Stormwind with him to deliver an order of new weapons to the barracks of the military. Since he usually spent some time afterward catching up with his former comrades-in-arms after dropping off his goods, Larraine found herself alone in the park district of the city with her pet. The two of them played fetch with a ball she had fashioned out of some old rags, and each time she threw it the pup would bring it back to her. Except one time, after a throw which had gone particularly far, he didn't come back. Larraine called for him, but he still remained out of her sight and so she decided to go investigate.

She came up behind a boy with blonde hair who was kneeling down and talking to her wolf, scratching him behind his ears. To her surprise, the wolf rolled over on his back to expose his stomach – which the boy promptly began to rub and scratch as he laughed and told him what a good boy he was. Larraine drew closer in curiosity, calling out to the boy to alert him to her presence, then gasped in shock when he turned his head to look at her.

"Y-Your Majesty!" she greeted the young prince, who had recently been named King of Stormwind after his father unexpectedly disappeared while on a diplomatic mission. She gave him a deep curtsy, her eyes cast downward in shame for not having realized sooner who he was.

"Is this your wolf?" he merely asked her as he continued to rub her pet's belly, and Larraine nodded, running her hands nervously along one of the braids her father had fashioned her hair into that morning before they left their small home near Goldshire.

"What's his name?"

"Fang, Your Majesty," she answered, continuing to keep her eyes averted from his gaze. She saw him stand up out of her periphery, and he took several steps closer to her until he was directly before her.

"And what's your name?" he asked her, bending down to look up at her.

"Larraine, Your Majesty," she quietly told him, meeting his eyes briefly before averting her gaze once more as she began to blush.

"Anduin," he corrected her.

"I know your name, Your Majesty," she told him, the color in her cheeks increasing.

"My name _isn't_ 'Your Majesty,'" he reiterated. "It's Anduin. You can call me that."

"O-Okay... Anduin," she complied with a small nod, and Anduin smiled brightly at her.

"Much better. So, I'm guessing you named him Fang because of his missing tooth?"

Larraine finally raised her head to look at him properly, blinking in surprise at how easily he'd figured out the origin of her pet's name. Fang had been missing one of his top canines when she found him, and it had yet to be replaced by one of the larger, sharper ones adult wolves had.

"That's right, Yo- Anduin," she quickly corrected herself. Anduin continued to smile at her, and with a nod he handed her the ball she had made for her pet.

"This came rolling along and I picked it up shortly before he came looking for it," he told her. "I'm sorry if I interrupted anything by picking it up."

"Not at all," she assured him, shaking her head. "Would... Would you like to play with him?"

Anduin's blue eyes lit up at her invitation, and he nodded a bit.

"Only if you join us," he requested, and Larraine returned his smile as she handed the ball back to him.

The two of them spent the better part of the next half hour playing with Fang, first taking turns throwing the ball for him to fetch, and then playing keep-away with it. Fang ended up jumping up and knocking down Anduin to get the ball from him at one point when the boy-king held it tauntingly up in the air out of his reach, but to Larraine's immense relief Anduin merely began to laugh and gave up the ball to the eager young wolf. The three of them then began to play tag, often with Fang in the role of "it" as he chased down each of them in turn.

Their fun was short-lived, however, as Anduin suddenly stopped running from Fang and the joyous laughter died in his throat. Larraine turned toward him to ask what was wrong and saw a stern-looking man with dark brown hair and a full beard in gleaming plate armor looking down at the royal heir with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Anduin, how many times have I told you not to leave the palace on your own?" the man nearly growled in his deep voice. "Do you have _any_ _idea_ how worried Lady Prestor and I have been about you?"

"I'm sorry, Bolvar," Anduin apologized, putting his hands behind his back as the entire upper half of his body slumped in shame. "I just wanted to go for a walk."

"Well, next time let me know and I will accompany you," Bolvar told him, his countenance softening a bit. He then realized that Anduin hadn't been alone as his gaze fell upon Larraine, and he stared at her almost critically for a moment before speaking once more.

"You're Declan McAlister's little girl, aren't you?" he asked her, and she nodded.

"This is Larraine," Anduin introduced her, even though it was apparent Bolvar already knew who she was. "We were just playing with her pet wolf, Fang. Since you're here now, can I stay a bit longer?"

Bolvar looked down to him, a small smile tugging his lips, but instead of agreeing to the boy's request he shook his head a bit.

"You're already late for your lessons, my boy," he gently chided him before looking to Larraine once more. "However, I do know your father makes deliveries to the city every few weeks. Perhaps I could talk to him about bringing you around to the Keep while he's here so that you and young Anduin can spend some time together. That is, if you would be amenable to such an arrangement, my lady."

He gave Larraine a knightly bow, and she blushed and quietly agreed that she would enjoy what he was suggesting very much.

"And how about you, Your Majesty?" he then asked Anduin. "If I were to make such arrangements, would that make you happy?"

"Yes!" Anduin excitedly agreed, hugging the much taller man's side. "Thank you, Bolvar!"

Bolvar chuckled and reached up to ruffle Anduin's hair with one hand. "If you truly wish to spend time playing with this young lady, though, you must also work hard on your studies. Which means we need to be going, for now."

Anduin frowned a bit, but nodded in agreement, then released Bolvar and went back over to Larraine.

"I have to go now," he told her with a bow. "I really had a lot of fun today. Bring Fang with you when you come to the Keep."

"I will," she assured him, petting the top of Fang's head while giving the young king a polite curtsy and smiling at him. "Good luck with your studies, Anduin."

She saw Bolvar raise an eyebrow in curiosity and she let out a small gasp before giving Anduin an even deeper curtsy.

"I mean... Good luck with your studies, Your Majesty."

Anduin gave her a curious look, then glanced to Bolvar before turning back to her.

"It's _Anduin_ ," he corrected her with a scowl, loud enough so that Bolvar would hear him. "Say it."

"Anduin," she repeated shyly, her gaze flickering to Bolvar then meeting the blue eyes of the boy standing before her.

"Much better," Anduin said, smiling brilliantly at her once more.

 

* * *

 

"Larraine... Wake up! We're nearly there!"

Larraine groaned as she felt two small hands on her shoulder, shaking her almost violently in an attempt to rouse her from her sleep. She cracked open her eyes and found Bixby kneeling next to her on the bedroll she'd claimed, her face set in determination and she continued in roughly shaking her awake.

"Stop it," Larraine growled. "Unless you want me to throw up on you."

"No, thank you!" Bixby said, throwing her hands up and jumping to her feet to carefully back away. "Nodd already got some on my shoes up on deck. I don't need _that_ again."

Larraine sat up and stretched a bit, then slowly got to her feet. She had never been on an airship before, and was still getting used to the loud noise of the large propellers and the unusual sensation of traveling through the sky as they had been for the past two days.

"Where's Fang?" she asked, looking around for her wolf. The last she'd seen him, he had been curled up next to her on the bedroll.

"He's up on deck," Bixby informed her. "I think he likes the feeling of the wind blowing through his fur. Come on! We should head up there, too. Rell said we're almost to where they lost contact with Admiral Taylor's fleet."

Larraine nodded and followed Bixby up to the main deck of the ship just in time to see Sky Admiral Rogers rushing down from the poop deck with Rell and several others in tow.

"Clear the decks!" the admiral yelled over the sound of the engines. "Stations, people! Let's go to war!"

Bixby grabbed Larraine's hand and pulled her aside to allow her sister and another gnome with green hair to pass them. Larraine turned to watch the two female gnomes hop into a couple of flying machines which were set up on the main deck of the airship, and a short time later they were airborn and headed off toward something below the Skyfire's current position. Larraine went over to the side and looked down, then gasped at the sight of at least a dozen Horde naval vessels sailing toward the same location they had been heading to.

"What are you doing?" Rell growled in her ear as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back away from the edge. "You should be down below."

"I _should_ be helping, Rell!" she argued, turning around to face him.

"Do you know how to fly one of those?" he asked, pointing to one of the other flying machines which were still sitting on the deck. Larraine shook her head and Rell grabbed her hand and began pulling her back in the direction of the lower decks.

"Then you need to get down below where it'll be safer."

"No!" Larraine protested, wrenching her hand from his grasp. At that very moment shots rang out from below and two cannonballs made contact with the hull of the ship, sending all of the passengers reeling. Larraine fell against Rell's chest, and he caught her by her shoulders and took a step back to steady himself.

"Shaw will have my head if anything happens to you, Larraine. Get below deck, _now_ ," he ordered through clenched teeth, making sure she was steady on her feet before he ran off to take one of the remaining gyrocopters in order to join the assault on the Horde fleet on the waters below.

"The Horde won't be able to hide from us, men!" Sky Admiral Rogers called out as everyone continued scrambling to their battle stations. "Not on land, not at sea, not in the air!"

"She really does hate the Horde, doesn't she?" Larraine said to herself, posing the question to no one in particular.

"She grew up in Southshore," came the voice of a male gnome from next to her, and she looked down to see the one she assumed to be Nodd – judging by the fact he was hunched over slightly and his face looked almost as green as his hair. "Her parents are buried there... what's left of them."

He ran over to the side of the craft and began to throw up once more, and Larraine looked to the hard face of the airship's stern captain. She'd heard from some refugees who had managed to escape and make it to Stormwind that Southshore had been destroyed by the Forsaken when they decided to test their newly-developed blight on the residents there. Not many of them had escaped, and those who didn't had suffered the same fate her father had at the Wrathgate in Northrend. It was odd, that she should feel a sense of kinship with a complete stranger, but a part of her understood the pain which was driving the older woman's hatred.

"Admiral Rogers!" she called as she approached her, causing the airship's leader to look in her direction. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"McAlister, yes?" she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. Larraine nodded and the admiral continued to scrutinize her. "You're a hunter, as I recall. Why not get behind one of the canons we have on board here and help neutralize any threats to our airborne units?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Larraine agreed, giving her a quick salute. She then rushed to the nearest canons and looked it over. She'd never used one before, and she wasn't sure exactly how to go about operating it.

"Just aim and shoot!" Bixby instructed, and Larraine turned her head to find the pink-haired gnome standing on the canon next to hers. "They're self-loading. Technology at its best!"

"Got it," Larraine said with a nod and took up the canon before her. She hesitated at first, not sure what is was she should be aiming for, but then she settled on taking out the cannonballs which the Horde vessels were attempting to hit their aircraft with. She watched as one was launched from a ship below and followed its trajectory, then fired at just the right moment to hit the flying missile with one of her own, causing them both to explode mid-air upon impact.

"Nice shot!" Bixby called over to her, taking aim and shooting another cannonball out of the air herself before re-aligning her canon and shooting directly at the vessel it had come from. "Take that, smelly orcs!"

Larraine chuckled a bit, content to leave Bixby to taking out the ships below as she could while focusing her own shots on intercepting the projectiles which were being sent at the Alliance flying machines. Rell and Gardenia were on two of those gyrocopters – as was Sully McLeary, judging by the bits of chatter she could make out between Rogers and the pilots – and she was determined to do her part to keep them all safe.

"That's enough," she heard Rogers call after several minutes, "all wings, report back. Prepare for ground assault."

Larraine and Bixby covered the members of the air team as they made their way back to the Skyfire, then left their canons to join the others before Admiral Rogers. Rell noticed her almost immediately among those in the crowd, but chose not to say anything and instead turned to Rogers to give his report.

"There is no sign of Captain Taylor _or_ his flagship," he said matter-of-factly, and Larraine closed her eyes as she felt her heart sink. A small hand grasped hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze, and she looked down to find Gardenia at her side, giving her the best smile she could muster.

"We need to head down to get a better look," Rogers surmised. "I want a team to hit the Horde on the shore as hard as they can. Right now, their little town is burning and their men are scattered and broken. This ends _now_ – finish them off. The rest of you, see if you can make contact with the locals. Nodd said he saw a native-looking village when he was bent over the stern losing his lunch. Perhaps, if Taylor and his passengers survived they might have gone there to look for help. We need to know, either way. Dismissed!"

Those on the ship began dispersing, some gathering together to discuss strategy for dealing with the rest of the Horde on the ground while others went below deck to gather things to take on their goodwill mission to the local village. Rell stared silently at Larraine for a long time before he made his way over to her and Gardenia – who was still holding her hand and patting it in an almost motherly fashion.

"You'll be going with those who are heading into the village," he told her in a tone which made it quite apparent that the decision was not up for debate.

"I'm fine with that," Larraine agreed. "If it gets us even one step closer to finding Anduin, that's where I should be."

Rell nodded and then turned to Gardenia. "I would like you and Bixby to accompany her, Ambassador. I'll be trusting the two of you to keep her safe in my stead."

Gardenia bristled a bit at the use of her title, but assented to the request, and Rell wished them luck before joining Sully and the others as they made the final preparations for their ground assault against the Horde forces. Larraine sighed and looked around, spotting Bixby as she came back up from the lower decks dragging not only her own bag, but her sister's and Larraine's with her. The only person missing was her wolf.

"Fang?" she called, her head whipping around as she looked about. "Fang! Where are you?"

A whine came from nearby and she walked toward a pile of artillery covered by a large tarp. Lifting up the corner, she peered underneath to find her wolf crouched down between two perfectly-stacked piles of torpedo shells.

"Hey... are you all right, boy?" she asked, tossing the tarp up out of the way and reaching into his hiding spot to scratch the top of his head. "You didn't get hit by anything when those cannonballs hit the airship, did you?"

Fang let out a small bark and crawled out of his makeshift den, then whined and looked toward the cannons she and Bixby had been firing.

"The noise scared you?" she wondered, and he let out another bark, then turned to her and whined.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, hugging him. "It's okay, though. You don't have to be scared. Noises can't hurt you. Besides, I'm not going to let _anyone_ hurt my sweet boy."

She ruffled the fur on either side of his neck and he licked her cheek, causing her to laugh a little as the two gnomes tasked with her safety made their way over. Bixby handed over her pack, quiver, and bow, and Larraine stood and got herself ready to depart for the shore below.

"Are you okay with going for another ride on Gardenia's flying machine?" she asked Fang, and he immediately pounced on the gnome in question and began happily licking her face.

"Ack! Help! He's trying to eat me!" Gardenia squealed.

"No, he's just excited," Larraine corrected, biting her lip to hold back her laughter. "I'm guessing he enjoyed his previous flight and this is his way of thanking you for taking him on another."

"It's no problem, but I can't take him anywhere if he doesn't _get off of me_!"

"Enough, Fang," Larraine said, and the wolf gave Gardenia's face one last lick before he stepped back and sat obediently, waiting for further instructions. The gnome pulled herself to her feet and wiped repeatedly at her face with the sleeve of her robes, then lifted her pack up onto her shoulders and headed to where her personal flying machine was parked – Fang following close behind.

"Wait!" Larraine called after her. "How are _we_ supposed to get down there?"

"By using these," Bixby answered before her sister could reply, holding up a parachute. Larraine took the pack and looked from it to Bixby and back again, twice.

"I... You mean... _Jump_?"

"Yep!" Bixby cheerfully replied.

"Jump... from up here?"

"Uh-huh!" she said with a grin as she climbed up onto the railing at the side of the deck.

"But-"

"Last one down is a stinky orc!" Bixby cried out before jumping off the airship, and Larraine rushed to look over the side. Bixby yelled exuberantly as she fell for several seconds before deploying her parachute, and Larraine cautiously pulled herself up onto the railing to sit, then fastened her own pack to the front of her body.

"It's for Anduin," she reminded herself, taking a slow, deep breath. Closing her eyes, she said a quick prayer to the Light and then, after another moment's hesitation, she jumped.


	4. Chapter 4

Larraine remained on her hands and knees for a long time once she finally reached the ground below the Skyfire, her eyes closed. She trembled as she tried to catch her breath and ease the rapid beating of her heart and she blindly grasped at the grass under her hands, digging her nails slightly into the earth below in order to remind herself that she was once more on solid ground.

"I'm sorry, Larraine," Bixby apologized, patting one of her shoulders. "I didn't realize you're afraid of heights."

"It's not heights that bother me, it's _falling from them_ that I don't like," Larraine clarified for her, taking one last deep breath before sitting up and looking to the airship above them. "Why did Gardenia go back up to the ship?"

"She's dropping off her flying machine, and then she's going to take a parachute down to join us."

Larraine nodded and stood up, then held out her hand to Fang. He came over and nuzzled her palm, then she laid her hand on top of his head and ruffed his fur. After he was sure she was okay he sat down next to her and patiently waited while she removed the pack her parachute had been in and then readjusted her gear so that the strap of her quiver crossed over her chest and freed up one shoulder for her pack and the other for her bow.

"Here she comes!" Bixby announced, pointing up into the sky. Larraine looked up and saw Gardenia calmly floating down to the ground, maneuvering her parachute with ease as she directed her fall to land next to where they were waiting for her. Once her feet made contact with the ground, she jogged a few steps before coming to a stop, then unfastened the pack from her chest and raised her goggles from her eyes.

"Did you guys see what's going on over there?" she asked them, pointing in the direction of the Horde landing where Rell and the others had gone.

"No," Larraine replied, shaking her head.

"It's a mess," Gardenia said, letting out a weary sigh. "Looks like the Horde already brought some siege equipment to the shore before we had a chance to take their ships down. I'm guessing they were planning to attack the village Rell asked us to check out."

"We should warn them!" Bixby suggested. "Before those stinky orcs get a chance to hurt anybody!"

"What is it with you and stinky orcs?" Larraine asked, curious about that particular phrase the tiny rogue kept spouting.

"Have you ever fought an orc?" Bixby asked her, scrunching up her nose. "They smell _bad_! I don't think any of them even knows what a bath is. Except maybe Thrall, but he's the one exception. I imagine he probably smells like incense. Or maybe flowers. Still, I doubt he'd smell as nice as the king."

"How would _you_ know what the king smells like?" Larraine asked, causing Bixby to blush.

"I... I don't. I just use my imagination."

"Right," Larraine drawled in disbelief. Knowing Bixby, she'd probably snatched a shirt from Varian's laundry during one of her little scavenging adventures at the Keep.

"Come on," Gardenia prompted as she set off in the direction of the nearest path. "Let's go make nice with the locals."

Larraine followed the two gnomes along the path, heading away from the site of the Horde encampment. As they walked, she looked around and took in the surrounding environment. Everything was an incredible shade of green, and unfamiliar trees dotting the sides of the pathway rained down soft pink petals upon them as they passed underneath. A warm breeze blew through the trees, sending even more of the petals down on them, and with those petals came a delicately floral scent. Larraine closed her eyes and felt a sense of calm start to fill her in spite of the direness of the situation they were in.

"Halt!"

Larraine stopped in her tracks and opened her eyes to find a rotund bear dressed in in armor standing upright on its hind legs before them. She looked around for whoever had ordered them to stop but, to her surprise, it was the bear who spoke.

"What business do you have with us, strangers?" the bear demanded, and she blinked in curiosity.

"Holy crap, it's a talking bear!" Bixby exclaimed, putting Larraine's thoughts into words. Gardenia sharply jabbed her elbow into her sister's side and stepped in front of her to address the apparent guard of the town.

"Greetings," she said, giving the large bear-man a curtsy. "I am Gardenia Tinkerfoot, Ambassador of the Alliance. My friends and I have come to your land on an important mission. We mean you no harm."

The bear-man looked the three of them over, stroking his chin thoughtfully with one hand. After a moment, he smiled and chuckled a bit, waving them along.

"Welcome to Paw'don Village, little ones," he told them. "You will find Mayor Khang in the town center, near the fountain. Please, do not draw your weapons as our previous guests did."

"Thank you, good sir," Gardenia told the guard, offering him another polite curtsy. The bear-man bowed in reply and then the three of them made their way into the village proper.

The first thing Larraine noticed – aside from the numerous other bear-people walking around the village – was the architecture. The buildings were mostly small but sported ornate, decorative borders around the windows and doors as well as upon the roofs. Nearly all of them had their front doors wide open, likely to indicate that whatever services the businesses within provided were currently available, but at least a couple of them buildings appeared to be private homes rather than businesses, with children playing on the steps. Foreign yet mouthwatering smells emanated from the dwellings, and Larraine suddenly realized it had been quite a while since the last time she ate anything. Perhaps, once they had introduced themselves to the town's mayor, they could see about maybe purchasing a meal from the local inn – assuming they had one.

"Hello, friends!" they were greeted by yet another bear-man wearing grey robes and an unusual straw hat upon his head. "Welcome to Paw'don Village. I am Mayor Khang."

"Greetings, Mayor Khang. I am Gardenia Tinkerfoot," Gardenia introduced herself before turning to the others. "This is my sister, Bixby, and our friend, Larraine McAlister. We have come to your land in the name of the Alliance of Stormwind on a most important mission. Might we and our people be able to stay in your village for a few days?"

"A mission?" the mayor mused, crossing his arms in a manner that his hands were fully enveloped by the large sleeves of his robe. "Might I inquire as to what sort of mission this is you are on?"

"We're here to rescue a prince!" Bixby blurted out before Gardenia had a chance to reply, causing her sister to give her a dirty look.

"A prince, you say?"

"Yes," Larraine said without thinking. "His name is Anduin. He's my age and about as tall as me with blonde hair and blue eyes."

"He was traveling by ship and wrecked somewhere along your shores," Gardenia continued before Larraine could start rambling any more than she already had. "By chance, did he or any of the crew members of the vessel he was on come here looking for aid?"

"Hm," the bear-man hummed thoughtfully for a moment before shaking his head solemnly. "No, I cannot say that they did. I am sure I would have remembered if someone such as yourselves came here, particularly if they were seeking aid. We pandaren are a helpful sort, you see, and so we would not have turned away someone in need."

"Pandaren? Is that what you bear-people call yourselves?" Bixby wondered, causing the mayor to let out a deep, hearty chuckle.

"Yes, my new little friend."

It was at that very moment that Larraine's stomach decided to audibly protest the lack of food within it, and she blushed as the mayor let out another mirthful laugh.

"We pandaren are also known for our hospitality," he told them, gesturing for them to follow him. "Come. We shall share a meal and you can tell me more of your people and this prince you seek."

The three of them followed the mayor the one of the few buildings in the village which had a second story, and they found several other pandaren sitting around low tables outside, eating from bowls with thin sticks. Khang went inside to an empty table and sat, then waited for the three of them to take seats around the same table before beckoning to a female pandaren with a long braid. She soon approached the table with a tray sporting four nearly-stacked cups and a teapot, and gracefully placed a cup before each of them and filled each one with fresh, hot tea.

"Jiayi, please bring us some of your finest green curry fish, as well as some frybread and red bean buns."

"Yes, Master Khang," the young female replied, bowing respectfully to the mayor before leaving them to go make the food he had ordered.

"So, tell me more of this prince you seek," Khang requested, sipping his tea in an oddly dainty manner for someone his size. The two gnomes both looked to Larraine, knowing that of the three of them she knew the prince best.

"Well, as I said before... his name is Anduin – Anduin Wrynn. He's the crown prince of Stormwind, and he was on a ship headed for your land as part of a diplomatic mission."

"And I take it his idea of diplomacy is far removed from that of the so-called 'Horde' who came by here a few days ago, yes? I certainly would hope so, seeing as you three are here seeking him out."

"There Horde was here?" Bixby asked, her voice squeaking a bit in apprehension.

"Yes, but fear not little one. We pandaren might prefer to live a calm and simple life, but we are not opposed to fighting when our homes are threatened. We drove them out and back to the shores, though some of them traveled a bit farther inland and took up refuge in Twinspire Keep."

"I can go get rid of those stinky orcs for you!" Bixby offered, prompting Khang to laugh.

"That will not be necessary. As long as they do not threaten the village, we are content to let them be."

"With all due respect, Mayor Khang," Gardenia said, bowing slightly over the table, "the Horde are the sworn enemies of our people and they are not to be trusted. They may have agreed to leave your village alone, but I don't doubt that they're holed up in that keep right now, plotting their eventual attack."

"Perhaps you are right," Khang conceded with a sigh. "I had a feeling I could not trust them when they agreed to make a retreat, but I suppose so many years of isolation has made us far too trusting of outsiders."

"You're not going to kick _us_ out, too, are you?" Bixby wondered, pouting.

"No, you are welcome to stay as long as you like. After all, you did not come barging into our village brandishing weapons and demanding that we submit to your will. However, should you or your people pose a threat to my villagers I will have no choice but to oust you like I did the Horde who came here."

Larraine had only been partially listening to the conversation from the point where she heard the Horde had started moving inland. Rell and the others had assumed they were all confined to the settlement on the shore, but it seemed they already had a head start on conquering the land with their forces. She was glad that Khang and his people had fought back and forced the Horde out, but she had doubts that _all_ of the pandaren would be so lucky. Perhaps some would even be swayed by the promises of power that the Horde often offered to their military recruits.

"Pardon me," the female pandaren said as she approached their table with another tray. This time, she placed dishes of thick green soup before them, each one with a whole cooked fish in it – along with a fifth bowl which she placed on the floor next to Larraine for her wolf. She also placed out a small basket full of pieces of flat bread which had the appearance of having been grilled and glossy, golden-brown rolls. Once the food had been served, she offered a pair of thin sticks to each of the diners at the table, and then she bowed and retreated back to her post behind the nearby counter.

"Um... How do these work?" Bixby asked as she attempted to stab the fish in her bowl with the end of one of the sticks.

"Here, let me show you," Khang told them with a wide grin, and he demonstrated the proper technique of using the sticks as eating utensils. Gardenia immediately caught on, and Larraine soon figured it out as well. Bixby, however, struggled with mastering the technique and so Khang took the sticks from her and tied them together at one end with a piece of string, then folded a leaf and stuck it in between them near the string. She still wasn't quite as good as the others, but the alterations to the implements seemed to help and she was finally able to eat along with the rest of them.

Larraine ate quietly with the others, occasionally petting Fang as he ate his own bowl of soup, but the intensity of her hunger caused her to eat faster than her companions and she accidentally slurped some of the soup from her bowl. She looked across the table to the mayor of the village, covering her mouth with one hand and blushing at her unintentional rudeness. To her surprise, however, the mayor merely smiled at her and picked up his bowl with both hands, then proceeded to loudly slurp down the rest of the broth within it before winking at her.

"Do not worry," he assured her. "Here, it is a great compliment when someone eats with enough gusto to cause noises such as the one you just made."

"What's the rule when it comes to licking the bowl clean?" Bixby wondered, staring at the last remnants of her own meal.

"Feel free to do so," Khang told her with a chuckle. "But, if I might make a suggestion, I prefer to use some of the frybread to sop up the last of the broth."

"Oooh! Good idea!" Bixby exclaimed, standing up slightly to reach across the table and pluck a piece of the slightly-charred flat bread from its basket.

Larraine reached for one of the rolls in the other basket and took a bite of it, then blinked in surprise when she found it was filled with a thick, sweet paste. She chewed slowly before taking another bite, then another, her eyes growing wide in wonder.

"I take it you like the buns," Khang remarked, and she nodded as she continued to eat the confection. "Please, take some with you."

He held out the basket to her and Larraine quietly thanked him and took a few of the buns to place in her pack for later. She then grabbed one more and handed it to Fang, who took it carefully from her hand and tentatively gnawed on it for a bit before swallowing the rest of the nearly-whole bun.

"If it is war you mean to bring to our shores, the very land itself will respond to your passions and your violence!"

Their peaceful meal was interrupted by the sound of shouting outside, and Khang rose from his seat to go investigate. Larraine exchanged looks with Bixby and Gardenia, and then the three of them followed the mayor outside. Rell was standing with another pandaren dressed in some sort of strange uniform, and judging by the look on the night elf's face they were not having a very friendly conversation.

"We're here on a _rescue mission_ ," Rell told the uniformed pandaren, his glowing eyes narrowed in anger.

"Oh, really?" the pandaren replied in disbelief. "I have witnessed, first-hand, this conflict you have with those calling themselves the Horde. It is little more than a race war. Do you mean to tell me this will not drive your people and their actions during this so-called 'rescue mission' of yours?"

Rell remained silent, and at first Larraine thought he was holding his tongue to prevent himself from having an angry outburst which would surely cause them to be forcibly removed from the town. As she studied his expression, though, she noticed something else written on his face: shame. Rell wasn't as adamant about exterminating the Horde as people like Admiral Rogers, but he'd never been one to stand down from fighting them in the name of the Alliance when it was necessary.

"What do you think happened at that encampment?" Bixby whispered, and Larraine wondered if she had noticed the look on Rell's face as well.

"If you insist on pursuing this conflict you have with the Horde, I do not know what the ultimate consequences will be – no one does," the pandaren said sternly, and Rell bowed his head in resignation.

"Taran Zhu, what brings you here?" Khang greeted the other pandaren, and he turned to the mayor and greeted him with a respectful bow.

"Mayor Khang, I see you have already decided to extend your hospitality to these outsiders," Taran Zhu remarked, gesturing toward Larraine and her companions.

"Yes, they came here searching for a young prince whose ship wrecked somewhere upon our shores."

Taran Zhu let out a grunt of disapproval. "I see. You may give these soldiers quarters at your discretion, but I must warn you that we will not be taking sides should their race war come to bear down upon your people. Their hatreds would engulf this land – and we will have no part in it."

"Very well," Khang agreed with a nod, and the two pandaren continued to stare silently at each other from under the brims of their large hats a moment longer before Taran Zhu gave the mayor another slight bow and made his way out of the village.

"What was all that about?" Larraine asked Rell as she approached him, reaching up to give his arm a slight squeeze.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," Rell told her tersely, prompting her to pull her hand away. A moment later he let out a heavy sigh and turned his glowing eyes to her face.

"Any word on the prince?"

"No," she informed him, shaking her head. "Mayor Khang here said no one has come to the village seeking aid in the last few days."

"Yeah, but they _did_ get visited by some mean, stinky orcs!" Bixby chimed in.

"The Horde were here?" Rell asked, turning his attention to the pink-haired rogue.

"Yep! But don't worry, the mayor and his people here drove them off."

"He did mention some of them might be at a nearby keep, however," Gardenia added, stepping forward. "It would probably be a good idea to check it out and make sure they're not planning another attack on the village."

"Good idea," Rell agreed. "Maybe I'll find that warlock so I can settle the score with him."

"What warlock?" Gardenia asked, her face hardening at the obvious disgust in Rell's voice when he spoke about the very skills she possessed.

"There was an orc warlock at the encampment," Rell told her. "He made some threats, said that the Horde would take over this land for themselves. Unfortunately, he ported away before we could capture him for questioning."

Gardenia nodded, though she still didn't seem quite satisfied with what he'd said, and Larraine decided to step in before the two of them could get into an argument.

"Rell, it's getting late. Why don't you and the others come in for a meal and we'll all get rested up and then tomorrow we'll figure out what we need to do."

"I suppose you're right," Rell agreed. "I doubt any of us slept well – if at all – on the airship. Rogers was finishing in clearing out the rest of the encampment with her men, but Sully and Amber should be along shortly with Nodd and Mishka and those who were wounded during the fighting. I just hope Mishka will be able to handle healing them all on her own."

"Do not worry," Khang told him. "We have healers here in the village who can assist in mending your wounded."

"Thank you," Rell said, giving the mayor an appreciative nod.

"If Prince Anduin was here, he'd be able to help, too!" Bixby pointed out.

"But he's _not_ here," Larraine blurted out. "He's still out there... _somewhere_."

"We'll find him," Rell said to her. "I promise. But like you said, we're all hungry and tired. None of us will be any good right now out in the field. So we'll take a night to rest and then regroup in the morning and go looking for leads. Okay?"

"Okay," Larraine quietly agreed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm sorry I got upset."

"We're all tired," Gardenia said, and Bixby nodded in agreement as she stifled a nod. "And you're frustrated. It's okay."

"Well, then," Khang said, clapping his hands together. "Now that you have all decided to spend the night here, I will speak to Jiayi about preparing some rooms for your people to rest in."

He turned and began to head back toward the inn, but paused as he passed by Larraine and reached up to pat her shoulder, giving her a knowing smile. A moment later he continued on his way, and she found herself staring after the elderly pandaren and wondering exactly what that had been about.


	5. Chapter 5

Larraine awoke to the sound of quiet humming near her bed and rubbed her eyes as she sat up slightly, causing Fang to stir next to her. Turning her head, she found the same female pandaren from the inn the day before moving about in the small kitchen of the house she, Bixby, and Gardenia had been permitted to rest in for the night.

"Oh!" the pandaren exclaimed when she realized she was being watched. "I am sorry. Did I wake you?"

"It's fine," Larraine assured her with a small smile, stretching her legs out on the bed. Fang jumped down and wandered over to the innkeeper, who gave him a friendly pat on the head and then handed him a fish to eat.

"Are you hungry?" she asked Larraine, picking up another fish from the basket full of ingredients she had next to the stove and placing it into the wide cooking vessel she was using. "I was just preparing breakfast."

"Yeah, food would be great," Larraine muttered, looking about the room for her companions. "Where are the two women I came here with?"

"Ah, the little ones," the pandaren said with a small laugh. "They woke up some time ago and spoke to the tall, purple-haired elf before going to see one of the town elders."

"They talked to Rell without me?" Larraine wondered, jumping to her feet and hastily pulling on her boots before heading for the door of the small home.

"Here," the pandaren said, holding out a steaming bowl of rice and fish to her. Larraine turned on her heel and took it from her with a slight bow and thanked her even as she continued on her way out the door, Fang eagerly following on her heels.

She stopped the first group of pandaren she came to in the town and described the pair she was looking for, and they directed her to the distillery near the central fountain of the town. Sure enough, as she drew nearer to her destination she heard a familiar, loud giggling. Bixby and Gardenia were seated next to one another on the grass next to a large water-powered building which she assumed to be the distillery. Three pandaren – one male and two females – were with them, and the younger of the two females was pouring some sort of drink from a large earthen pot into the small cups in the gnomes' hands.

"Larraine!" Bixby called out to her when she saw her, waving her hand up above her head to get her attention. "Over here! We're having cider and telling stories!"

Larraine sighed and went over to them, offering a polite greeting to the three pandaren as she took a seat on the grass between Bixby and Gardenia.

"This is Teng Applebloom and his daughters, Cui and Ju," Gardenia introduced them.

"And this is Larraine!" Bixby exclaimed loudly. "Doesn't she have such pretty hair?"

She started giggling again and reached up with one hand to stroke Larraine's hair, and Larraine turned her head and looked at her more closely. Her eyes were bright and her cheeks were flushed and though she was sitting she still seemed to be a bit wobbly.

"I think you've had enough cider, Bix," Gardenia told her, reaching over to attempt to take the cup from her hand, but Bixby snatched it out of her reach and whined.

"No, I'm fine. I promise! Just let me finish this cup, and I won't drink any more."

"How late did I sleep?" Larraine wondered aloud, figuring that, surely, if Bixby was already drunk it had to be at least early afternoon.

"It's ten in the morning," Gardenia informed her, making another futile attempt to get the drink out of her sister's hand. Larraine, however, was closer and easily plucked the cup from the giggling rogue and handed it to her.

"I agree with your sister, Bixby," she said in response to the over-exaggerated pout on the younger gnome's face as she struggled to reach past her and retrieve the cup of cider from her sister. "You're drinking water for the rest of the day."

Teng chuckled and poured some water from a second earthen container, then handed it to Bixby, who reluctantly took it and settled down next to Larraine.

"I heard you two already spoke to Rell," Larraine said, thanking Teng when he handed her a cup of water to drink with the breakfast she still had carefully balancing in one hand.

"He went with Sully up to that old keep nearby," Gardenia informed her, and Bixby let out a small huff.

"He wouldn't take me with him," she complained. "I wanted to go fight stinky orcs, but he said I had to stay here and babysit!"

"What?" Larraine asked, confused, and she looked back to Gardenia to see her giving her sister a dirty look.

"Gardenia, what is she talking about?" she asked, causing her to let out a sigh.

"Apparently, our role on this mission is to make sure you get home safely," she said simply after a moment, her eyes not quite meeting Larraine's questioning gaze.

"I see," Larraine said. "So Mathias really never intended for me to do anything to help find Anduin, he just... humored me by letting me come along with Rell and the others, and _they_ were to be the ones actually searching for him."

"He's just looking out for your well-being," Gardenia attempted to calm her, placing a hand on her knee. "You're young. You don't have as much experience in the field as Rell and the others."

"And none of them know Anduin as well as I do," Larraine pointed out, the pitch of her voice rising in anger. "None of them has a personal stake in this like I do. And, sure, you can side with Rell if you want to and say that is _why_ I shouldn't be out here, but I have far more riding on this than they do. I'm not just looking for a lost prince – I'm searching for my best friend. Why doesn't anyone seem to understand that?"

"Speaking of searching for things," Teng spoke up, attempting to break the tension which was building among the three women. "Have you yet heard about the mythical treasures of Pandaria?"

"Treasures?" Bixby perked up, scooting closer to him. "What kind of treasures?"

Teng chuckled. "Oh, I am not talking of gold or jewels, little one, but of ancient items which are said to be scattered across the whole of Pandaria, buried deep beneath the earth. To most, they would seem items of little consequence – a stone tablet, an old teapot, items of that nature – but mark my words they are still _quite_ valuable."

Larraine quietly ate as she listened to Teng tell stories about some of the lost treasures of his people, informing them of the supposed origins and last known locations of several of them. Bixby moved closer and closer to him in rapturous attention as he spoke, and Larraine swore she could see her practically salivating at the prospect of finding one or more of these lost items to add to her personal collection of treasures back home in Stormwind. Gardenia also seemed interested, though she mostly asked questions concerning the history of each of the items Teng told them about.

"I take it she's not the only one with a secret stash of pilfered items?" she asked Gardenia, nodding toward Bixby.

"Oh, no... I'm not a thieving little hoarder like her," Gardenia replied, waving her hands about in front of her. "I am, however, an archaeologist."

"So your interest is _purely_ academic," Larraine sad, he voice full of doubt.

"Maybe not _purely_ ," Gardenia admitted with a shrug, "but largely, yes. This is a new land, after all. Think of all the things we might be able to learn about it from these treasures!"

"You sounded a bit like your sister there," Larraine teased at the way her voice had squeaked in excitement, and Gardenia slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Good morning, ladies," Sky Admiral Rogers greeted as she approached. Larraine and Gardenia immediately jumped to their feet and saluted her, but Bixby was a bit slower and took a few seconds to pull herself up to a standing position, and her salute was noticeably sloppier than that of the others. Rogers saluted them all back, her mouth still set in a firm frown.

"At ease," she told them, and they all sat back down. "Have any of you seen Nightwind about?"

"He's not here," Gardenia informed her. "He and Sully are scouting a nearby keep that has been occupied by Horde forces."

"Horde?" Rogers echoed, her eyes widening and her hands tightening into fists at her sides. "Why wasn't I informed?"

"I'm sure he'll let you know as soon as they verify that the Horde have actually occupied the keep," Larraine told her. "For now, however, it's just speculation that they're there based on what some of the villagers have told us."

"That is unacceptable," Rogers insisted. "Whether they _are_ there or we merely think they're there, it is my duty as a member of the Alliance military forces to lead the attack against them."

"From the air," Gardenia added, causing Rogers to turn her angry gaze upon her. "But we're on land right now, Admiral. With all due respect, this is Rell's call."

"Actually, it would be _Taylor's_ call, but he's not here," Rogers corrected. "As it were, that's the reason I've come looking for Nightwind."

"You found where Taylor and the others are?" Larraine asked, slowly rising to her feet.

"No. However, we spotted part of a wrecked vessel on the shore to the south of this village which may be the remnants of Taylor's flagship."

"And what about Anduin? Is there anything to suggest where he might have gone?" Larraine demanded, stepping closer to the woman until she was nearly standing toe-to-toe with her.

"Calm down, McAlister," Rogers ordered, staring her down with cold, dark eyes. "The White Pawn was not spotted near the ship, but Nightwind said that Taylor's message revealed he was safe. Surely, wherever he is we will find him."

Larraine bit her tongue to hold back a few choice words she had for the woman and turned on her heel to storm off in the direction of the home where she and the sisters had spent the previous night. She was thoroughly tired of the way people were brushing off her concerns for Anduin. After all, the point of their mission was to locate his whereabouts and bring him home safely. That had seemed to become much less of a priority for Rogers as soon as she caught sight of the Horde, though.

Then there was the matter of everyone wanting to 'protect' her. Yes, she was still young – but she was barely younger than Anduin. They were both skilled archers, yet he was far and above her in every other way. He'd traveled the world, and this trip was the first time she'd left Stormwind since her father went off to fight in Northrend. Even before that, the farthest she had been was Three Corners. He had been studying the Light for over a year and, while some might argue she had far superior skills to his when it came to actual combat, he was already a skilled and talented healer. All of that, he had managed with an overly protective father. Larraine didn't even have her father any more, and she was still being held back by those around her.

"Larraine?"

She stopped short upon hearing Gardenia call her name, and sighed as she turned to face her. The two of them silently stared at one another for a long moment before the gnome finally stepped forward and took her hand then, without saying a word, led her the rest of the way into the house.

"I'm sorry," she apologized once they were inside, continuing to lead her over to the small table by the stove to sit.

"It's not you I'm angry with," Larraine replied, feeling horrible that she'd made her feel responsible for her frustration.

"I know," Gardenia said, nodding. "But I'm still sorry for what you're going through. I know how hard it can be when no one seems to believe in you."

Larraine said nothing. She simply looked her over, and for the first time since they had met only a couple of days prior she saw the confidence drained completely from her.

"After we left Gnomeregan, it was just me and Bixby," she explained, pulling her goggles off completely and setting them on the table before her. "I wasn't much older than you, actually, and I had to raise my sister on my own."

She got up and went to the stove, then began fiddling about with a teapot as she continued to speak.

"We ended up in Ironforge, with the rest of the initial evacuees. I took any menial job I could to keep us fed, but being young and having no real experience I ended up turned away more often than not. Eventually, I found steady work as an engineer's apprentice. Then I started studying magic – but the darker side of it. I was only curious, at first, but I found I had a natural affinity for the fel arts and a strong aptitude for resisting the corruption it brings about in most who study it. That didn't matter, though. The friends I'd made pulled away from me, I lost my job... I was afraid Bixby would leave me, too, but she didn't. She was the only one who stood by my side and believed in me."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Larraine wondered, hoping she didn't sound too rude in asking.

"The point is," Gardenia said, pouring two cups of tea and handing one to Larraine as she took her seat once more, "things can get better if you choose to _make_ them better. I'm a fully-fledged warlock now, and a decent engineer. I have friends. Mekgineer Thermaplugg even named me an ambassador – though that was partly because no one else wanted the position. Still, I got to where I am today by not letting others get me down. When they didn't believe in me, I tried harder. I did the things they said I couldn't do, and I made myself into the person I am today. I guess... Over the years, I forgot what it's like to not have anyone believe in you."

She offered Larraine a smile and leaned over the table to place her hand on top of hers in a motherly fashion, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"If you want to, we'll go after Anduin ourselves," she said. "You're right to be worried about him. He's the reason we came here and he should take precedence over going after the Horde."

"We should probably wait a bit before we head out, though," Larraine suggested. "I don't think Bixby's going to be much use to us in her current state."

Gardenia laughed. "Believe it or not, that was only her second cup of cider she was drinking."

"Really?" Larraine asked, laughing a little in disbelief.

"Yep," Gardenia confirmed with a nod. "She's always been a lightweight. Ask her about when she tried to out-drink Sully."

"Was that the time she streaked through the cathedral district singing at the top of her lungs?"

"So you already know about that," Gardenia said with a smirk.

"I do." Larraine nodded. "I also remember the hangover she had the next morning. I thought she might suffocate herself, with the way she kept hiding her head under a pillow to block out the light."

The two of them shared a good laugh at the expense of the absent member of their party, and after a moment Larraine reigned in her laughter and gave Gardenia a respectful nod.

"Thank you for sharing your story with me," she said.

"You're welcome," Gardenia replied. "So, what's the plan?"

"You're asking me?" Larraine asked, blinking in surprise.

"You're the one who's closest to the prince," Gardenia reminded her. "I figured you might have an idea what we should do."

"We need to go see what we can find at that wreckage Rogers told us about," Larraine decided almost immediately.

"Why don't we give Bixby a few hours to sober up, first, then we'll head that way on our own if Rell hasn't come back by then," Gardenia suggested.

"And if he _has_ come back?"

"Then we go with him, no matter how much he argues we should just stay here," Gardenia told her with a smile and, for the first time since she had heard about Anduin's predicament, Larraine felt like things might actually turn out all right.

"Sounds like a plan to me."


	6. Chapter 6

The sun was already starting to hang low in the sky by the time Bixby was finally feeling up to going on a scouting mission at the wreckage Rogers had told them about. She'd grumbled in protest, saying she'd rather they waited just a bit longer, but Larraine pointed out they were going to completely lose daylight soon. She finally gave in, but only after she was told she could have an extra few minutes to prepare a potion for herself that she knew would help her recover more fully from the effects of her over-indulgence in the local cider that morning.

As the three of them made their way across the bride leading away from Paw'don Village, Larraine quietly took in the scenery. Pandaria was a beautiful place, and if it weren't for the situation she might have considered taking the time to fully explore the area and simply relax and enjoy her surroundings. Now was not the time to be waxing poetic about nature, however. They were on a mission, and as beautiful as the land surrounding them was Larraine knew that Anduin was somewhere trying to survive.

Bixby began to violently hack and cough behind her, and she turned around to find her half doubled-over with her face drawn into a pained expression. Tears filled her large eyes and one hand went to her throat, and Gardenia stepped closer to her sister and began patting her back.

"Is she okay?" Larraine asked, concerned.

"Fine," Bixby answered before her sister could. "Just..."

She held up her other hand as another coughing fit began, and Larraine saw a half-empty vial of bright purple liquid in it.

"It tastes like feet!" Bixby complained, then took a few deep, shaky breaths before holding her nose closed and downing the rest of the potion. Another round of coughing commenced – this time peppered with a few choice curses – and once she had finally calmed down a bit Gardenia gave her a canteen of water so she could at least wash the taste out of her mouth. She took several hearty swallows of the contents, then handed the canteen back and slapped herself in the face as she let out a high-pitched roar .

"Are you good to go now?" Larraine wondered with a raised eyebrow, and Bixby nodded as she began walking once more toward their destination, passing Larraine on the bridge.

"What do you think we'll run into?" she asked, unsheathing one of her twin swords from her hip in order to apply some poison to the blade. "Murlocs?"

"I'm not sure they have murlocs here," Larraine told her. "Gardenia, you read the report Rogers got from the scouts. What did it say?"

"There were no reports of any hostile entities at the crash site, just some local wildlife."

"Poo!" Bixby exclaimed, angrily shoving her sword back into its sheath. "Here I was, hoping we might get to have some excitement."

"Bixby," Gardenia said her sister's name, a warning tone in her voice.

"You're right," she said, turning to look at them and holding up her hands in surrender. "This isn't the time to be itching for a fight."

Larraine smiled a little at her and playfully mussed her hair as she walked past to take the lead once more, but her smile fell when she finally reached the top of the hill overlooking the wreckage that Gardenia had described from the scout's report. The deck of the ship seemed to be largely intact, but judging by the angle at which it was sitting in the shallows and the amount of debris littered along the rocky shoreline it appeared as though the lower decks had likely been destroyed when the vessel ran aground – if not before. As if that hadn't been disturbing enough, there were also at least a dozen large, ape-like creatures milling about what was left of the ship.

"The scout was wrong," she called back over her shoulder to Gardenia and Bixby, who had been talking quietly to one another. They joined her at the cliff's edge and surveyed the scene below, and Bixby let out a groan of disgust.

"Why did it have to be monkeys?" she protested. "They're just about as smelly as orcs! _And_ they throw poo!"

"Those are _not_ normal monkeys, Bixby," Larraine told her, shaking her head.

"They're not?" Gardenia asked, looking up at her.

"The report might have said we'd be facing harmless wildlife, but those things are _far_ from harmless."

"How can you be so sure?" Bixby wondered.

"First, they're looting the ship. How many monkeys have you seen do that?" she asked them. "Secondly, they have weapons. I counted at least four of them with crude spears, and those who _do_ have weapons seem to be guarding the others while they take anything of value they're finding on the ship."

"Are you sure they're actually looting, though?" Gardenia asked her, squinting a bit as she tried to see what the monkeys were carrying out of the cargo hold.

"If they were just stealing food, that would be expected of normal monkeys," Larraine told her. "I saw two of them carrying out a tapestry, though. I don't know about you, but I've never known of any wild animals who gave much care about decorative items."

"Then what's the plan?"

"Oh! Does this mean I get to fight something after all?" Bixby squealed excitedly, brandishing both of her swords.

"I suppose it does," Larraine told her, a small smile breaking through at the sight of her sheer enthusiasm. "But we should be smart about this. _They_ know the land, we don't. We also don't know how strong these things are or what sort of combat skills they have."

With a sigh, she turned to her wolf. "Fang, I want you to go down with Bixby and protect her as best you can."

"Actually, if you don't mind," Gardenia interjected. "I think I have someone who would be better suited for taking the brunt of whatever damage these things could throw at the both of them."

Larraine was about to ask what she meant when Gardenia took a few steps away from them and pulled some white powder from a pouch hooked to her belt. She then proceeded to use the powder to draw a circle around herself on the ground and then drew some sort of large rune in the center of it.

"It's a summoning circle," Bixby quietly explained to her. "She's going to use it to pull one of the demons under her command from the Twisting Nether."

Larraine nodded silently and continued to watch as Gardenia finished with preparing her circle. She then stepped into the center of it and drew a small dagger from one of her boots, which she then used to cut open the palm of her hand. She barely winced, though the audible sound of the blade slicing through her flesh was enough to make Larraine squirm a little in discomfort.

"The blood is to help strengthen the bond between master and demon," Gardenia called over, holding her hand in a tight fist above the rune she had drawn and letting some of her very life essence drip down onto what Larraine now assumed was either chalk dust or ashes of some sort. The first few drops seemed to have no effect other than turning the white dust bright red, but after the seventh or eighth drop hit its mark the entire circle sparked to life and began emitting an eerie purple glow.

"I take back what I said previously," Bixby said to Larraine as her sister began to chant in a strange language. "She's not pulling from the Twisting Nether, she's calling her blueberry from the void."

"Blueberry?" Larraine echoed, confused and a little scared as she suddenly realized Gardenia must be speaking in the demonic tongue.

"You'll see," Bixby replied, and she patted Larraine on the hand. "There's no reason to be scared, though. He's big, but he and Gardenia have a strong bond that's been built over years of fighting alongside each other. She's fully in control of him."

"Right," Larraine said with a nod, though she still wasn't entirely sure what to think about the whole thing.

"Achor she-ki, Metathion!" Gardenia finally cried out, and the circle around her feet pulsed with power. A few seconds later the largest voidwalker Larraine had ever seen manifested before her very eyes, though it was also different from others she had seen in that it was a darker shade of blue, sported large, heavy-looking pauldrons, and had bolts of energy visibly pulsing throughout its body.

"That's the blueberry," Bixby informed her.

"I don't think I've ever heard anyone use that term before," Larraine said, shaking her head slowly as she continued to watch Gardenia, who was bowing respectfully to the creature she had just summoned.

"You must not hang out around any warlocks," Bixby said with a giggle, then wandered over to her sister and the voidwalker, waving at the large entity like they were old friends.

"Hey, Metty!" she called, and it turned its glowing white eyes toward her.

"I see you have the annoying one with you, again," it said in a deep, masculine voice which seemed to echo hollowly.

"Be nice, Metathion," Gardenia ordered, setting her pack down on the ground to search through it.

"Impressive voidwalker, Gardenia," Larraine called out as she joined them, still marveling at the size of it. It was several times the size of either of her companions, and probably even larger than the king, himself.

"I am a _voidlord_ ," Methation corrected her, sounding indignant that she would make such a mistake. "And who is this, Master?"

"This is Larraine," Gardenia introduced her as she began wrapping a bandage around her hand. "The reason I called upon you is because the three of us need your help."

"What do you want from me?" he asked, turning his attention back to his master.

"See those monkey-like creatures down below," Gardenia instructed, pointing over the edge of the cliff. "I need you to go down there with Bixby and protect her while she searches the area."

The voidlord glided over to get a better look at the area below where they were standing, then scoffed.

"Paltry creatures," he said, then turned back to Gardenia. "So I am to draw their attention from the annoying one while it gets to have all the fun?"

"By all means, fight as many of them as you wish," Gardenia replied with a welcoming gesture. "I would never dream of robbing you of any enjoyment while you're here."

"I'm still going to send Fang with them... if that's okay with you?" Larraine posed the question to the voidlord, who seemed to give her a curious look.

"This one shows respect," he thoughtfully intoned in his deep, hollow voice. "I like it much better than the annoying one."

Larraine forced a smile, not sure if she should be flattered or worried that the creature was taking a liking to her. After a moment, she cleared her throat and nodded in the direction of the wreckage on the beach. Bixby pulled her swords free from their sheaths and checked to make sure the one in her right hand was still sufficiently poisoned, then slipped into the shadows and quietly made her way down a nearby path to the beach. Rather than following her, though, Metathion remained with them – as if he was waiting for a sign from Gardenia to join her sister. Larraine nodded to Fang, and he slowly followed in Bixby's wake, though he remained out of sight of the creatures ransacking the ship's remains and kept low to the ground, waiting for just the right moment to pounce.

"We'll cover the three of them from up here," she said to Gardenia, who nodded in agreement. "Hopefully they don't call any reinforcements."

"You think they're that advanced?" Gardenia wondered, looking up at her.

"I don't know, but at this point I'm not going to rule it out. We don't know anything about this place or about those... _things_. For all we know, they may have already..."

She closed her eyes and swallowed down the words that had almost escaped her mouth, willing herself to remain positive. Not just for herself, but also for the king's sake. He and Anduin might have had their differences in recent years, but everyone in Stormwind knew just how important the prince was to his father. It would devastate King Varian beyond belief if anything happened to him.

"Bixby's in place," Gardenia informed her, and she opened her eyes. Looking down, she found one of the monkey creatures wavering on its feet, having been stunned by a well-placed knock to the back of its head by one of Bixby's sword hilts.

"Send down your voidlord," Larraine instructed. Gardenia gave the order to her minion and Larraine pulled an arrow from her quiver, then nocked it and aimed for another of the monkeys near to the one Bixby had stunned. Meanwhile, Gardenia began to call fire to her hands, her fingertips sparking a bit before igniting with the warm, orange glow of controlled flames.

As soon as the voidlord made it down to the beach it went for the stunned monkey – and then all hell broke loose. The monkey nearest Bixby's target let out a loud cry for help, and before she had a chance to silence it the others heard and quickly ran over to its defense, causing the rogue to quickly become outnumbered. Larraine let out a sharp whistle, calling Fang into action even as she let her readied arrow fly. It hit its mark square in the chest, and Fang leapt at another of the creatures, his powerful jaws catching it around its throat. With a shake of his head its neck was broken, and he dodged Bixby's blades as he went after another, attempting to pull it away from the fray. Meanwhile, Gardenia's voidlord succeeded in keeping the majority of the creatures focused on him, and he lured them out of Bixby's range so that his master could rain down fire upon them.

Larraine was impressed by both sisters. Bixby effortlessly jumped from the back of one monkey to the next, her blades slicing and stabbing so quickly that most people wouldn't even be able to see their movements clearly, while Gardenia calmly cast her spells, alternately burning her targets and sending bolts of chaotic fel energy at them. She did her best to match their efforts, loosing arrows as quickly as she could – occasionally pausing to infuse them with arcane energy the way one of her mentors had shown her – all the while signaling to Fang where he was most needed in the fight.

After several long minutes, one of the creatures broke from the fray and seemed to say something to the others. Those who could followed it and they ran off in the opposite direction of the path Bixby had taken to reach the shore, while the ones who were already wounded remained fighting in an attempt to give them the opportunity to escape.

"Should we go after them?" Gardenia wondered, and Larraine shook her head.

"We can't forget the reason we came here," she said, letting another arrow fly into the back of one of the creatures that was trying to escape. "We'll have to be quick, though. They could be going to get reinforcements, and we have no idea how close their settlement is."

Gardenia nodded and made her way toward the path, and Larraine followed her. By the time they reached Bixby, she was just finishing off the last of the ones who had remained to fight. Fang returned to Larraine, and she knelt down to praise him and gave him a piece of jerky while she ran her fingers through his fur checking for injuries. There were no wounds on him, but his fur was still spattered with blood and another substance which caused Larraine to gag a bit once she got a good smell of it and realized what it was.

"They threw poo at us!" Bixby complained, and Larraine looked up to find her attempting to brush some of the stick, brown substance from her armor.

"Why don't you two get cleaned up?" she suggested, going to the water's edge to wash off her hands in the surf. Fang happily charged into the water and began swimming around, but Bixby shook her head.

"I'm hoping it comes off while I check the ship," she said, sitting on a rock to remove her boots.

"I can do it," Larraine offered, but Bixby shook her head.

"I know you want to find Prince Anduin, and I know our best bet to finding a clue as to his whereabouts is on that ship," she said, getting up and going to the water's edge. "However, I also know I can hold my breath for a _really_ long time _and_ I can swim with my eyes open. So I'm volunteering to do the search. Okay?"

Larraine threw up her hands and took a step back, and Bixby took a couple of slow, deep breaths before audibly sucking in a final one and jumping into the water. Larraine followed her pink hair under the water until she finally entered the lower levels of the ship through one of the broken portholes, then she looked off in the direction the monkeys had run off to before turning her attention to the ones they had managed to take down during their brief skirmish. A second later, something caught her eye which gave her pause: Tied to the spear one of them had been carrying was piece of a violet-blue cloth trimmed with gold. She knelt next to the fallen creature to get a better look at it, but that only confirmed her fear – it was part of the royal sash Anduin often wore.

"Don't assume the worst just yet," she heard Gardenia say, and looked up to find her looking down at the same piece of fabric she'd been examining. Larraine nodded and stood, returning her attention to the wreckage as they continued to wait for Bixby's return, but her heart refused to stop racing.

It was another couple of minutes before Bixby resurfaced outside of the ship, and she swam back to them with a satisfied grin on her face.

"Well?" Larraine prompted once she reached the shore.

"I found Taylor's log," she told them, wringing the water from each of her pigtails. "It's coded, so we'll have to give it to Nodd to decipher before we'll know what it says, though."

"Anything else?" Gardenia asked before Larraine had a chance to.

"Here," Bixby said, pulling a book bound in dark brown leather from inside her tunic and handing it to Larraine. "This one isn't coded, and I thought if anyone should get to read what's in it, it's you."

Larraine took the book from her and looked at it curiously, then turned it over in her hands and gasped softly when she saw the letters 'A.L.W.' embossed in gold letters on the front cover.

"Thank you," she said even as she began flipping through the journal, but to her dismay the pages were almost completely waterlogged.

"The last entries weren't as badly effected by the water," Bixby told her, working her feet back into her boots.

"Either way, we should get back to the village before you start reading that," Gardenia pointed out. "Just in case."

"Good thinking," Larraine muttered, though she was still looking through the journal for any entries Anduin would have made around the time Taylor's ship had been attacked. She called for Fang and he fell into step at her side as they began the trek back to Paw'don Village.

_The battle is more fearsome than I could have imagined._

Her steps slowed when she finally came to a page where the words hadn't been all but destroyed by the water flooding the ship's lower levels. Anduin's near-perfect script filled the page with his recounting of the events which took place as they were attacked by the Horde and subsequently ran aground, his words full of distress and frustration at being detained within his quarters while others aboard fought against the attacks. She swore she could hear his voice as she read, and she could feel his guilt and sense of failure when he talked about how he hadn't been able to save those who had suffered the worst injuries despite his best efforts. Her initial fear then returned as he began to describe the ship running aground and how he'd been locked in his quarters and stranded there as they filled up with water.

"Bixby," she quietly called to the rogue, and she stopped to look back at her. "Did you find anything which would suggest Anduin didn't make it out of his quarters?"

"On the contrary, I'm pretty sure he busted out one of the portholes himself. The topper was missing from one of the posts on his bed."

"And he would have been able to fit through there?"

"Absolutely!" Bixby assured her, nodding.

Larraine smiled weakly and turned to the last page, which only had a few lines of writing upon it.

_If any Alliance soldier finds this, know that I, Prince Anduin Wrynn, am alive. I am going to travel inland and search for food and aid._

"Anduin," Larraine said his name, turning to look back where they'd just been. She mentally followed the path those monkey creatures had taken when they fled, into the surrounding forest. If he'd gone that way... it explained how the one would have gotten a hold of his sash. The question still remained, though, as to whether or not he was still alive. She had to believe that he was. No matter what, she knew she had to keep her faith that he was out there waiting for them to find him and take him back to the safety of Stormwind. For her sake, the sake of Rell and the others, the sake of the people of Stormwind who adored him... and for the sake of his father.

Swallowing thickly, she looked back down at the final words written upon the page.

_Please tell my father that I am well._

"I will just as soon as I know you are," Laraine said to him even though she knew he wasn't there to hear her, tears starting to spring to her eyes in spite of the mental pep talk she's just given herself.

"Dammit, Anduin... Where are you?"


	7. Chapter 7

Fang rested at the foot of the bed Larraine had slept in, his eyes watching her pace the floor as she re-read Anduin's journal probably the hundredth time. She knew he was worried about her, and was secretly thankful he couldn't speak and tell her not to worry the way Bixby and Gardenia had both done before going to spend the night in another room so she could have her space. She'd spent better than half of the night tossing and turning before finally giving up on sleep, and was up before the sun to resume her ceaseless sauntering back and forth across the room.

"If any Alliance soldier finds this, know that I, Prince Anduin Wrynn, am alive," she read out loud to herself, then let out an exasperated sigh.

"You were alive when you _wrote this_ , at least. What about now? If only you'd turned and gone the other way from the wreckage, you'd be here in this village and I wouldn't be worried half to death about you!"

She threw the journal at the wall, causing it to hit with a noise loud enough to startle Fang, who raised his head up to look at her and whined in concern. Shaking her head, she sat down next to him and scratched him behind one ear to assure him she was going to be okay, then put her head in her hands. With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes and told herself over and over again that Anduin was just fine – but she was still having a hard time being positive with little more evidence of his survival than the journal he left behind on Taylor's flagship.

" _I think I probably would have felt it if you were gone."_

Her eyes flew open as she suddenly remembered something he had told her the first time they saw each other following the great Cataclysm. She'd questioned why he didn't seem as relieved to see her alive as she had been to see him, given the fact that the Stormwind City Park – where the night elf woman she had been training under lived and she often spent time practicing her archery skills – had been completely destroyed by Deathwing. He explained that he _had_ been afraid for her safety, at first, but then he realized if she had perished he likely would have been able to feel it in his heart that she was gone... just as he'd felt when Bolvar fell at the Wrathgate.

There was a chance he could only 'feel' she was still alive due to his connection to the Light, but Larraine knew she had to at least give it a shot. Closing her eyes once more, she took a few slow, deep breaths and calmed herself. She then concentrated as much as she could on Anduin, recalling some of her fondest memories of him. For the longest time there was nothing, and the worry began to creep back into her mind. Then, she felt it: a small, warm sensation akin to the feeling of the healing spells Anduin used faintly blooming right in the center of her chest.

She opened her eyes and smiled at Fang, then hugged him tightly and laughed, and the wolf made a sound to express his confusion with the situation.

"He's alive!" she told him, leaning back and laughing once more as she rubbed both of his ears. "Anduin's alive, Fang! I can feel it!"

Fang barked in his approval at the news, though he was likely more happy that his mistress was no longer in the gloomy mood she'd been all night than he was to hear the news that the prince still lived.

"Larraine!"

Rell's deep voice called from the courtyard outside the inn, starling her. She hadn't known he was back from the old temple, but apparently he'd been back long enough to hear about what she and the others had done the previous day, judging by how angry he sounded.

Deciding the best course of action would likely be to meet him head on rather than try to keep hiding until he had a chance to cool off, she stood up and walked out of the hut she had been staying in. Fang followed, remaining close to her side, and together they went to the courtyard. Rell was nearly upon them as soon as they stepped through the doorway, a piece of parchment crumpled in his tightly-clenched fist.

"What were you _thinking_ , going off on your own like that?" he growled at her, his jaw clenched in rage.

"I was thinking _someone_ should go look for Prince Anduin, like King Varian ordered us to do," she replied without thinking, regretting it almost immediately. Rell started to grind his teeth, obviously not impressed by her flippant remark, and he raised the hand with the parchment in it to stick one of his long fingers in her face.

"This is _not your mission_ ," he reminded her, his voice taking on a threatening tone. "Furthermore, Master Shaw has entrusted your safety to me so you will do what _I_ say from now on, understood?"

Larraine couldn't stop the short burst of laughter which escaped her, and she crossed her arms over her chest as she leveled her gaze with his.

"Mathias ordered you to protect me, did he?" she asked, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly in a smirk. "Well, you certainly are doing a _wonderful_ job of that, Rell, what with running off after the Horde practically as soon as the shore was in sight."

She expected him to rage at her, to get in her face and yell and curse and maybe even threaten bodily harm to her should she not stand down and follow his orders. To her surprise, however, she saw something pass over his face that seemed more like guilt than anger. He shut his eyes tightly and turned his face away from her for several long seconds, then finally looked at her once more. His gaze was no longer narrowed, and it was almost as if he was silently telling her she was right.

"Don't run off like that again, Larraine," he ordered, though most of the venom was gone from his voice.

"I wasn't alone, Rell," she said. "Bixby and Gardenia went with me to look for Anduin."

"I know," Rell said, some of the anger returning. "But they're not going to be able to go with you next time."

"Why not?" she asked, and he merely handed over the crumpled parchment in his hand. Larraine's brow furrowed in confusion and she took it from him, then smoothed it out as much as she could in order to read the words which had been written in large, block letters upon the page.

_Rell,_

_We're going to search for treasure!_

_-Bixby_

Larraine almost laughed. Bixby and her sister had each been intrigued in their own way by the stories of the lost treasures of Pandaria. She never expected that they would simply desert their duties and take off to go looking for them, though. The mirth she felt soon turned to anger, however, when she realized that without them around she would likely either be forced to remain at whatever camp Rell and his team set up or sent back to Stormwind, directly.

_P.S. - You should take Larraine with you when you go to look for the prince. She's more capable than you realize._

The final bit of the note was in a different style of handwriting, and Larraine guessed it had been added on by Gardenia. She smiled a little to herself as she re-read the suggestion the elder of the two sisters had made to Rell, even though she highly doubted he'd take it to heart.

"Did Taylor's log reveal anything?" she asked, hoping to steer the conversation in a more favorable direction than she was sure it was about to head.

"Don't change the subject," Rell snapped, grabbing the note back from her and holding it up. "What are we going to do about this?"

"About what? The two of them taking off? It's not like we have the man power here to pull together a second search team to go hunt them down," Larraine remarked.

" _No_ ," Rell replied, the annoyance from earlier seeping back into his voice. "What are we going to do about _you_ now that they're gone?"

"Maybe you should just take me along with you, like they suggested," she suggested, staring him down defiantly.

"No," Rell said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Either you take me with you, Rell," Larraine said, taking a step closer to him, "or I go looking for Anduin on my own."

"I can have you detained."

"Oh please, Rell," she replied, shaking her head and laughing. "I've been living under the same roof as some of the highest-ranking members of SI:7 for the past three years. Do you really think I haven't picked up a thing or two that would help me escape?"

Rell continued to glare at her, and the tense silence stretched on between them for what seemed like several minutes. Larraine wanted to look away from that stern, glowing gaze, but she knew she couldn't back down. She needed him to see her as more than an incompetent child.

"I can do this, Rell," she finally said, her voice quiet but sure. "Let me help. Please."

"You _will_ follow my orders," Rell told her.

"Alright."

"That means staying put if I tell you to, Larraine," he continued, his voice a stern warning. "No running off on your own. If you think you have a lead, you tell me and _the team_ will investigate."

"Will I be included as part of 'the team'?" she asked, her gaze still unwavering.

"Yes," Rell reluctantly said after a moment's hesitation.

Larraine continued to stare him down a bit longer before extending one of her hands toward him. Rell looked to her hand briefly, then back to her face, and finally he took her hand in his and shook it to seal their agreement. Larraine squeezed his hand as tightly as she could, her gaze hardening when he gave her a surprised look, wordlessly conveying the fact that she was _definitely_ going to hold him to everything he just said. If he didn't, their deal would be off and she'd go looking for Anduin on her own, consequences be damned.

"Now, about that report..."

Rell almost laughed and released her hand, then turned and began walking back toward the center of the village. Larraine followed him, eager to heard what sort of information the report had held – especially if there were any clues as to Anduin's whereabouts – but she didn't push further. The two of them continued to walk quietly through the village until they reached another small hut owned by one of the locals, and upon stepping inside she was met with the faces of Rell's other team members as well as that of the SI:7's best codebreaker.

"Now that we're all here, Nodd," Rell addressed the green-haired gnome, taking a seat between Sully and Amber at the table in the center of the room, "go ahead and tell us all what you've found."

"Well, sir," Nodd said, standing from his own seat on the other side of Amber, "it appears that was, indeed, the wreck of the flagship upon which the White Pawn had been traveling."

"I could have told you that," Larraine remarked. "And do we really need to keep using the code name? I think we all know who we're talking about, here."

Nodd gaped at her and looked to Rell, who nodded to him.

"Continue."

"Um... Well..." He cleared his throat, looking at the notes in his hand. "Taylor's last entry says he was going to fight off the hozen and protect the vessel after the shipwreck since the Whi- since Prince Anduin was still on board."

"Hozen?" Larraine repeated thoughtfully. "Is that what those monkey things are called?"

"Yes!" Nodd informed her with an excited lilt to his voice. "According to the locals, they are an advanced form of primate who are known to inhabit the area and sometimes terrorize smaller farms by stealing their crops. They're loud and smelly and violent, but also possess a certain level of intelligence."

"Anythin' else we should know about these critters?" Sully wondered before chugging down whatever was in the mug in his hand.

"They sometimes take prisoners," Nodd continued, then looked to Larraine. "Did you see any sign of Taylor on the ship?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "And, I... I'm afraid they might have Anduin, too."

"What?" Rell snapped, turning to look at her.

"Yesterday, when Bixby, Gardenia, and I were down by the wreckage of Taylor's ship... one of the hozen had a spear with a piece of Anduin's royal sash tied to it."

"And you didn't think to alert us about this _immediately_?" Rell shouted, standing up and going over to her. "The prince could be _dead_ , for all we know!"

"He's not dead!" Larraine yelled back at him. "If he was, I'd know it."

"How do _you_ know?"

"I can feel it," she told him, her voice shaking. "Anduin is alive."

"This mission cannot rely on _your_ gut feelings, Larraine," he growled at her. "The _evidence_ shows that he's in _a lot_ of trouble, right now. You keeping your mouth shut about what you found yesterday may very well cost him his life."

"He's not some helpless little weakling, Rell," she snapped at him. "He's stronger and smarter than _anyone_ gives him credit for. He's not just going to stand there and let them take him down without a fight. Even if he can't meet their physical strength, he'll figure out a way to survive until help comes."

"If I may?" Amber spoke up, slowly rising from her seat. She watched the two of them continue to stare each other down as she approached, then placed a hand upon Rell's shoulder and turned him slowly until he was focused on her rather than Larraine.

"You're right, Rell," she told him, her voice soothing. "Prince Anduin is in _grave_ danger. But Larraine is also right. There's a very good chance he's holding out until we find him. You know what we have to do."

"I do," Rell said, nodding slightly.

"Then we await your orders, sir," she replied, a small smile gracing her lips.

Rell glared briefly at Larraine once more, then followed Amber back to the table and spread out a crudely-drawn map across its surface. Larraine took a few steps closer in order to get a better look at it, though she could easily see it was likely only a small portion of the continent they were on.

"Nodd's sister drew up this map based on the reports from our scouts and the information we were able to gather from the locals about the surrounding area," he explained, then pointed to a location just past where the shipwreck had been. "According to these resources, there is a rudimentary village here. Likely, it's the base of the hozen you fought yesterday, Larraine."

"Right, then!" Sully said, pumping a fist into the air. "Let's go show them right bastards the might o' the Alliance!"

"No," Rell and Larraine said at the same time, causing the others in the room to look back and forth between them in shock. Larraine and Rell also exchanged a look with one another, each of them surprised that the other finally agreed with them, for once.

"If we go rushing in there headlong we could cause them to panic," Rell continued with his plan.

"And if that happens, and they have Admiral Taylor or Anduin..." Larraine added, her voice breaking at the end as she thought about what might befall the prince should they not approach the hozen settlement carefully.

"Amber, I want you to head up into the air and see if you can give us a better idea of the layout of the settlement and let us know if there are any signs of the missing," Rell instructed.

"Right away," Amber agreed with a nod, then left to go find one of the flying machines they'd brought down after their air assault on the Horde base.

"I could see if maybe there's some higher ground near the settlement," Larraine suggested. "That would give me a vantage point for taking them out."

"I want you with me and Sully," Rell insisted, shaking his head. "If we do find Prince Anduin there and things start to go bad, I'm relying on you to get him back to this village safely."

Larraine nodded and excused herself so she could retrieve her gear. Rell called after her and told her to meet him and Sully at the village gate closest to where the shipwreck had washed ashore, then she quickly returned to the hut she'd been staying in. Fang bounded around the room just as much as she did, bringing her parts of her armor while she checked her bow to make sure the string was taut. He then sat down next to her and whined, and she looked over to find him holding Anduin's journal in his mouth.

"Thanks, Fang," she told him, kneeling down to take the book from him and pat him on the head. "We'll have to remember to give this back to Anduin when we find him. Are you ready to go?"

He ran toward the door and waited for her, his tail twitching in excitement, and Larraine laughed at him.

"Hold your horses," she said, sitting down on the bed. "I need to finish putting this armor on."

Fang continued to wait for her, but after a bit his anticipation of the upcoming outing got the better of him and he began jumping toward her and barking – as if he was telling her to hurry up.

"I'm coming," she told him, standing back up and gathering her things. She then gave the room one last look-over to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, then followed her wolf outside.

She knew she should go to meet Rell and Sully right away, but instead she made a detour to the inn so she could thank Jiayi for allowing her to stay in her home. The innkeeper merely smiled and told her it was a pleasure to have her as a guest, then wished her luck on finding the prince and gave her a small sack filled with the red bean buns she had taken a liking to. Larraine thanked her once more and carefully placed the parcel into her pack, then made her way to the meeting point.

Rell and Sully were already waiting when she got there, quietly discussing something. Larraine slowed her pace as she approached them from behind, letting her keen sense of hearing hone in on their conversation.

"Da little one's right, Rell," Sully was saying. "Ye should jus' let the lass do what she does best."

"She's still a child, Sully," Rell argued.

"She's what... Fifteen years old, now? That's the same age as Prince Anduin! You think she's less capable than the prince o' protectin' herself? Hm? Or... Wait a bleedin' second... Does this 'ave somethin' to do with her bein' a girl?"

"What are you implying, Sully?" Rell growled.

"Nothin'," Sully insisted. "I'm jus' tryin' ta figure out why yer so against the poor lass helpin' us."

"I'm ready!" Larraine called out to alert them of her presence. She knew she could have listened in a bit longer without them noticing her, standing as far back behind them as she was, but she really didn't want to hear Rell's response to the Sully's question. It was nice to know the dwarf was on her side, though, and she smiled at him when the reached them.

"Amber is up in the air as we speak," Rell informed her. "She'll follow our path and let us know of any dangers ahead via communication device."

"Sounds good," Larraine said, nodding. "Shall we?"

Rell gave a single nod and began to walk down the path, and Larraine shifted the straps on her shoulders as she waited for Sully to go after him.

"After ye, lass," he told her, bowing and giving her a wink as he gestured along the path.

"Age before beauty," she replied, making a similar gesture. Sully chuckled and followed Rell, and Larraine brought up the rear with Fang.

This time, she let herself take in the scenery a bit more as they traveled along, past the overlook where she had stopped the previous day with the sisters and into the dense jungle itself. The vegetation was strikingly similar to descriptions of the jungles of Stranglethorn Vale that she'd read in various books, and she couldn't help but wonder if there might be similar wildlife, as well.

"Rell, this is Amber. Do you read me?"

"Yes, Amber," Rell said into his communication device, halting their group.

"I can see the hozen settlement just ahead of you," Amber's voice once more came over the line. "It appears they have set up some sort of makeshift prison within its boundaries. I can identify multiple cages scattered around the area."

"Can you identify any of the prisoners?" Rell asked.

"Negative," Amber replied. "Although... Shit!"

"Amber, what is it?" Rell said, a note of concern in his voice.

"Horde!" Amber yelled, and Larraine's eyes went wide as she heard the sound of guns being fired – likely from the aircraft Amber was on – followed by an explosion, and then... nothing.

"Amber?" Rell attempted to get her back on the communication device, but all that he received in return was static. "Amber!"

Larraine watched Rell as he desperately attempted to get Amber back on the line, fear and panic starting to take him over until he eventually threw his communication device to the ground in frustration. Sully bent down to retrieve it without a word, then reached up to pat the taller man on the back in a comforting manner.

"Dammit!" Rell swore, closing his eyes briefly and taking a deep, shaky breath.

"She'll be okay, ye'll see," Sully assured him. "Amber's one tough cookie."

"We need to find her, Sully," Rell said gruffly, taking the communication device back from him and hooking it onto his belt.

"An' we will, right after we find Prince Anduin," Sully told him, patting his back once more.

"Now you know how I feel," Larraine said. Rell and Sully both turned to look at her, the dwarf's eyes wide in shock at her audacity while the elf's narrowed slightly at her.

"I'm sorry to be so blunt, but your desperation to know Amber is safe is the same way I feel about finding Anduin," she told Rell. "And the sooner we find him, the sooner you can go find her. So why don't we stop standing around here and continue on to this hozen settlement?"

"She's right, Rell," Sully told him. "Time's a-wastin'."

Larraine ended up taking the lead of their group, Fang walking at her side, and Sully and Rell fell in behind her.

"I don't recall making _you_ the leader of this party," Rell called ahead to her, but Larraine held up a hand to silence him.

"What is it, lass?" Sully asked quietly as he went to her side, and Rell – being the tallest of their group – came up behind them.

"Look," she whispered, pointing ahead. "Right through those trees, can you see it?"

"I see... something," Rell told her, squinting as he tried to make out whatever it was she had noticed.

"It's Admiral Taylor," she said, looking up at him.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, already brandishing his daggers.

"Positive," she replied, nodding. "He looks to be hurt, too."

"How kin ya tell?" Sully wondered, raising up on his toes in a vain attempt to get a better look at what she was seeing.

"He's bandaged up and in a prone position on the ground. Which... I suppose could mean he's _not_ being held prisoner. After all, why bother taking the time to offer aid to someone you're just going to throw into a cell?"

"It could be a trap," Rell warned, taking a step ahead and raising one hand to place against her shoulder. "Wait here while Sully and I go ahead."

"But-" Larraine tried to protest.

"If you see anything suspicious closing in on us, shoot it," Rell instructed her.

Larraine nodded, readying her bow to keep them covered while they moved in closer to the settlement. Her eyes quickly scanned the area, checking for any signs of a possible ambush. Seeing nothing of any significant danger, she started slowly making her way along the path Rell and Sully had taken, still on alert with her bow drawn. At the first sign of anything she would open fire, but the closer they got the less it looked to be a trap. Perhaps Taylor had already succumbed to his injuries or he was so badly incapacitated that the hozen had merely left him for dead rather than waste their time guarding him.

"You there! Can you help us?"

Larraine heard the voice before she saw who it belonged to. The speaker sounded like his mouth was swollen, and once she got a good look at him she understood why: he was, in essence, a talking fish-man.

"Sure, why not," she muttered to herself. "First talking bears, then aggressive monkey-things, and now fish people."

"Are ye hurt?" Sully asked the fish-man, and he shook his head.

"I will be fine. This man here is badly injured, though," he said, pointing to Taylor. "He put up quite a fight. Nearly escaped, too, but now he is just a prisoner like the rest of us."

"Are there any others like him?" Larraine asked, her eyes darting about the settlement. There were a few hozen patrolling nearby, as well as small groups near the larger structures at the other end of the area, but none of them seemed to be paying attention to the prisoners.

"No, but there are more of my people," the fish-man said.

"How is he?" Larraine wondered, finally looking away from the rest of the settlement to where Sully was examining Taylor.

"Not good," the dwarf said, shaking his head a little. "He's pretty beat up an' barely breathin'."

"We'll call in Mishka once we get him somewhere safer and have her tend to his injuries," Rell decided, sheathing his daggers in favor of a set of lock picks.

"My people can offer you safe shelter from the hozen."

"Your people?" Larraine asked the fish-man, curious what they called themselves.

"We are the jinyu. One of the ancient races of Pandaria," he explained. "The hozen have long been our enemies. I am known as Bold Karasshi. My friends and I were captured in an ambush while patrolling near our village."

"You said your people can offer us shelter?" Rell questioned him as he began working the lock which kept him chained up.

"Yes, if you will help free me and my friends, you will all be welcomed as heroes."

"All that won't be necessary," Larraine told him before Rell could make some sort of remark about not being sure they were trustworthy. "We just need a safe place to treat this man's injuries."

Rell glared at her as he passed by on his way to the other cages so he could release Karasshi's friends, and she let out a sigh. She knew her relief would be short-lived, however. Rell likely didn't want to make a scene in front of the one who was offering them safe haven, but once he had an opportunity to speak to her alone she was sure the gloves would come off.

"He mentioned something about a prince before he lost consciousness," Karasshi said, and Larraine turned to him once more. He was unexpectedly tall at his full height, and she had to crane her neck in order to address him.

"What did he say?"

"I could not make out all of his words," he told her. "All I was able to understand was 'prince' and 'safe.'"

"Sounds like he knows where Prince Anduin is," Sully remarked, standing up and brushing his hands off on his trousers. "Hopefully once Mishka's had a crack at him he'll be able to tell us more."

"We can only hope," Rell said, stepping up next to him and pocketing his lock picks once more. He then bent down and lifted Taylor's unconscious form with a grunt of exertion, then nodded toward Karasshi.

"Your people are free. Now, lead the way," he ordered. Karasshi nodded and took off down the hill, leading them all toward a group of hozen who were occupied in a heated battle with several other jinyu.

"Fall back!" Larraine heard the jinyu cry out, and his bretheren did their best to fight off their attackers before fleeing in the direction they were headed.

Even as they closed in on the jinyu village, Larraine could still hear the triumphant cries of the hozen echoing behind them. With that shrill sound ringing in her ears, she couldn't help but wonder if putting themselves in the middle of a conflict between the two races was really such a good idea.


	8. Chapter 8

Larraine stood by as Rell and Sully spoke to Bold Karasshi and another jinyu who she assumed to be the leader of the village, occasionally looking to where Admiral Taylor was resting. Mishka had come as soon as she could following Rell's communicator call to her, and after a cursory examination assured them all that Taylor would be fine and merely needed to rest for a while. Larraine was still anxious, however, as the longer it would take for him to regain consciousness the longer Anduin would be out in the wilds of Pandaria. She knew he wasn't completely defenseless, but if he were to be ambushed by a group of Horde soldiers he would likely run out of stamina and end up at their mercy... and the Horde weren't exactly known for showing mercy, especially since Garrosh Hellscream took over.

"Please, take my younger brother with you," Karasshi said, gesturing to a shorter, slimmer jinyu nearby. "We may not be friends, but you should not go into unfamiliar territory alone."

"What's he talking about, Rell?" Larraine asked, approaching the small group.

"We're goin' ta go look fer Prince Anduin," Sully informed her, and Rell looked to him before turning his attention to Larraine.

"By 'we,' he means the two of us," he told her sternly. "I want you to stay here in the village until we return."

"But, Rell-"

"Someone needs stay be here in case Taylor wakes up," he cut off her protest, nodding toward the admiral's resting form.

"Mishka can-"

"He might know where Anduin is," he reminded her. "I'm sure you're anxious to hear whatever he has to say. So just stay here and make nice with the locals while we scout nearby for signs of the prince."

"Fine," Larraine reluctantly agreed through clenched teeth. She watched as Rell and Sully prepared for their trip, along with the young jinyu – who was apparently known as Little Lu. Karasshi asked Rell to look out for him, which Sully agreed they would do, and within the hour they were gone.

For the rest of the day, Larraine spent time introducing herself to some of the higher-ranking jinyu in the village. They all seemed friendly, if a bit suspicious, and one of them even admitted that they preferred to keep to themselves ever since they made the mistake of trusting the hozen – who then promptly wiped out the vast majority of their tribe. They weren't nearly as hospitable as the pandaren had been, but they were kind enough and offered her, Mishka, and Fang something to eat and a place to sleep for the night.

The next day was fairly uneventful, as well. Taylor was still recovering, and so she offered to help the fishermen of the tribe. They were doubtful that she would be of much help, but when she successfully pulled in the first catch of the morning they started to open up to the idea of her presence. She didn't catch much else throughout the day, but she learned that the village had been having trouble with the nearby hozen for a while and that their warriors weren't having much luck fending them off. To her surprise, when she asked if perhaps they had tried attacking at range the jinyu looked at her as if she had suddenly sprouted an extra head... and so she took the question to the village elder.

The elder gave her much the same response to the question, but with the addition of informing her that all of the jinyu received the same training in close-quarters combat. After confirming that they actually did have the appropriate weapons for different fighting styles available, she suggested letting some of the members of the tribe try something other than melee combat if it suited their skills. The elder agreed to give her suggestion a try, albeit begrudgingly, and then tasked her with deciding which of his people should be give the opportunity to try their hand at something other than the standard warrior training. And so the rest of her day – and much of the following one – was spent talking to nearly every resident of the village, determining where their skills were best applied in a combat situation and attempting to instruct them on how to use those skills. Those whose abilities mirrored the ones of the rogues she knew were a bit easier for her to assist, since she had been living at SI:7's headquarters for the better part of three years, but the casters posed more of a problem for her. Thankfully, the innate ability of those who were able to wield spells of magic and healing did most of the work for her and she only needed to focus on helping them learn to properly aim their spells – which, as an archer, was more her forte.

Her fourth day among the jinyu she found them much less guarded around her, and a small group of them even approached her to ask about Fang and how she had managed to train a wild animal to act as her companion. She was happy to discuss her own skills and training, glad that she could finally talk to them about something with which she was wholly familiar rather than a method of fighting which she only understood the most basic fundamentals of. She even demonstrated the taming techniques she had been taught on some of the local wildlife, including a rather large crocolisk. The jinyu were in awe of her, and she couldn't help feeling a bit proud of herself – which was a nice change from the worry that had been plaguing her since before she even left Stormwind.

By the time her fifth day in the village rolled around, that worry had begun to change to panic. She knew Rell and Sully well enough to know that they were experts out in the field, and yet they hadn't returned. She assumed that the unfamiliar surroundings might have something to do with why they were taking so long, but she also knew they had Karasshi's brother as a guide and that Rell had a reputation for getting things done in as timely a manner as possible. Of course, given the way he'd run off after the Horde as soon as they arrived rather than sticking to the prime objective of their mission, she was starting to doubt that reputation.

"We need help!"

The sun had just reached its peak in the sky when Larraine heard a familiar female voice calling for assistance from the far end of the village. She turned around and was surprised to see Amber approaching, but even more shocking was the unconscious form of Rell balanced between her and Karasshi's brother, with Sully situated between them and holding up the night elf's legs. Mishka immediately ran to them, along with some of the jinyu who had taken up healing duties only a few days earlier, and Larraine watched in stunned silence as the group brought Rell over to where Taylor was still recovering and placed him on his own cot next to the admiral.

"What the hell happened?" she asked when she finally got a good look at him. His dark purple skin was ashen, and if not for Mishka's assurance that he was alive she wouldn't have believed that he wasn't even breathing.

"It's... a long story," she heard Rell say, his voice little more than a weak wheezing sound passing through his lips.

"Rell!" Amber cried out, practically knocking Mishka over in her haste to get to his side. The tall draenei woman gave her a dirty look, but said nothing and resumed in doing what she could to apply aid to Rell's injuries.

"You should probably rest, Rell," Larraine told him, moving to stand next to Amber and raising an eyebrow at the was she was holding Rell's hand. "You look like shit."

"No," Rell protested before coughing violently for several seconds. "You need... to know... what happened. Everyone... needs to know."

"Just take your time," Larraine requested, sitting down on the ground beside the cot he was on.

Rell nodded and closed his eyes, then took a few shaky breaths before he began to finally speak.

"We traveled... north. Several hours," he said, his eyes still closed. "Found... a fallen tree. Amber's plane..."

Larraine's jaw tightened, but she said nothing. Rell had apparently not wanted her to stay behind in case Taylor regained consciousness, but because he had intended to go looking for Amber all along.

"Lil' Nimm was just hangin' from another tree nearby," Sully added, chuckling. "Her chute got stuck in the branches. Was the funniest thing I'd seen in a good while."

"Sully, please," Amber admonished him. "Let him finish."

"Amber..." Rell wheezed. "Had to... protect Amber. Hozen... ambush."

"That's enough, Rell," Amber told him, squeezing his hand, and she reached up to brush some of his long hair back from his face when he broke out into another violent coughing fit. "We'll tell her the rest."

Rell nodded and murmured his thanks, then allowed himself to relax while Mishka continued to work on his injuries.

"So once those bleedin', dirty hozen 'ad been taken care of we got Nimm down an' sent her along back to the pandaren village," Sully picked up where Rell had left off. "Amber here joined us as we continued on our search fer Prince Anduin. Farther north, we found this big ol' clearing with some strange shrines. Knowin' the prince is a priest, we figured it was worth checkin' out to see if he'd been there."

"And did you find anything?" Larraine asked him, leaning forward eagerly.

"No," Sully replied, hanging his head sullenly. "Amber covered me while I checked all three o' the shrines, but no sign o' the prince. I did make a couple o' new friends, though."

"New friends?" Larraine wondered, and Amber let out an annoyed groan.

"He adopted this raccoon that he found."

"Two o' them!" Sully corrected. "Course I wouldn't 'ave had ta find a second one if ye hand't shot poor Gizmo!"

"Sully, just drop it," Amber snapped at him. "I said I was sorry."

Sully huffed and turned back to Larraine. "Unfortunately, while I was occupied with checkin' those shrines an' Amber was busy coverin' me, poor Rell got ambushed."

"And where were you?" Larraine asked the jinyu who had accompanied them.

"Rell sent Little Lu off ta gather firewood so we could make camp fer the night," Sully informed her, then looked to the jinyu in question. "It's not his fault the hozen followed our trail an' ganged up on Rell."

"I am still sorry I could not have been there to help him," Lu said, bowing his head in shame. "I am also sorry I did not notice the danger we walked into on our way back here to the village."

"What are you talking about?" Larraine asked, looking between the two of them. "You ended up getting ambushed _again_ on your way back here?"

"Not exactly," Sully said, shaking his head. "See, after Rell was injured, we followed the trail o' the hozen who had attacked him an' Amber took them out from afar while I set up charges ta blow up their huts. But then, we discovered that they're workin' wit' the Horde! So we got outta there faster'n I don't know what 'cause Rell was getting' worse. An' then... I..." His voice broke and he let out a sob, shaking his head.

"I can't stand ta tell the rest. Little Lu, you tell 'er."

"Of course!" Lu said eagerly, proud to have been acknowledged as part of their team. He then went to sit next to Larraine, and she couldn't help smiling at how happy he was in spite of the situation, simply because he had been acknowledged by Sully.

"We meant to return to the village, but with Rell being injured we got turned around and ended up heading farther north into the woods," he began his part of the tale, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. "There, we found the home of a pandaren and decided to ask if the owner might be able to offer us food and a place to sleep. Except, she was not a normal pandaren. She was some sort of witch, and had numerous statues made from jade that I realized – almost too late – were actually living beings she had cursed into jade."

"Oh, Socks!" Sully wailed. "Me poor lil' friend! Why?"

"What's his problem?" Larraine wondered.

"The witch turned Sully's pet raccoon into a jade statue," Lu told her. "The creature jumped in front of him just as the witch cast her spell, and saved both of us."

"It sounds as though he died a noble death," Larraine told Sully, feeling a bit sorry for the dwarf. "You have my condolences."

"Thank ye, lass," Sully said, wiping his eyes with his sleeve and sniffling loudly. "But what was perhaps more disheartening than Socks' demise was that one o' the jade statues in that witch's yard was an orc."

"Really," Larraine muttered, not at all surprised that he would bring up the Horde.

"Unfortunately, it seems the Horde are already making headway in their attempt to claim this land as their own," Amber added, her attention still focused on Rell.

"And what about Anduin?" Larraine asked, attempting to remain calm. "Did you find _anything_ that might help us locate his whereabouts, or were you too busy chasing after the Horde to be bothered?"

"We _were_ looking for him," Amber snapped, turning to look at her.

"You looked in _one place_ , Amber," Larraine pointed out. "Then Rell got hurt and all you did was run around chasing down hozen to get revenge for his injuries. And I'm guessing you didn't bother checking any of those huts you blew up for evidence of his presence, either, did you?"

She turned an accusatory gaze toward Sully, and he looked at the ground and shuffled his feet a bit, muttering something under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I said, I didn't think ta look," he repeated himself, and Larraine got to her feet and began pacing.

"Does _no one_ but me remember what your orders were?" she posed the question to the agents Mathias had trusted to complete the task ordered by the King of Stormwind, himself. "We're supposed to find Anduin and bring him home. That's it! You weren't told to chase after hozen or worry about the Horde, but to bring home the king's son. He is your prince, and his safety should be your top priority. You should be happy that Varian wasn't here to listen to that report you just gave, because I'm sure he'd hang you all by your ankles for failing to _do your jobs_."

She turned on her heel and walked away from them, wanting to put as much distance between herself and the lot of them as she could before she ended up taking a swing at one of them. She didn't get very far, though, before she heard Amber calling her name. She debated turning back to see what the older woman wanted, but instead she kept walking in the hopes she would take the hint and leave her alone.

"Larraine, stop," Amber said sternly, halting her in her tracks. Still, she refused to turn around to look at her, and Amber had no choice but to step around her in order to face her.

"Believe it or not, I know exactly how you feel."

"No, you don't," Larraine argued, shaking her head.

"I do," Amber insisted, her voice softening. "He's important to you. If you knew something had happened to him, it would be bad enough. But not knowing... It's tearing you apart. Your mind's running through all these possibilities, each one worse than the next, and and you keep thinking to yourself, 'Light, if I lose him I don't know how I'll ever survive.'"

Larraine swallowed thickly as tears began to form in her eyes, and all she could do was nod in response to her words. Amber had hit upon the exact thoughts she'd been having, and in that moment Larraine suddenly realized something.

"You and Rell, huh?" she asked, the corner of her mouth quirking up slightly. She didn't know how she'd failed to notice it sooner, with the way he'd reacted to her plane being shot down and how she had been too stubborn to leave his side while he was being treated for his injuries.

"It's nothing we've acted upon, but... He means a lot to me," she confessed, and Larraine nodded in understanding. Mathias always told his people that relationships were the bane of the best assassins, so they'd been forced to hide their feelings for each other. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to be in that situation, but she suddenly felt bad for having given Rell a hard time about wanting to ensure Amber's safety – especially since his motives were so close to her own for wanting to join them on the rescue mission.

"We really did look for the prince, you know," Amber assured her. "But there was nothing to find, and we're searching totally blind in this new land. If we had some sort of clue, maybe we could have found him. Right now, though, all we have is Admiral Taylor. As soon as he comes around and we find out what he knows, Sully and I will take Little Lu back out and find him. I promise."

Larraine took a slow, deep breath and nodded. "Thank you, Amber. Like you said, though, we really have nothing to go on until Taylor wakes up."

"Then why don't we head back?" Amber suggested. "He's looking a lot better than the way Rell described him, so perhaps he'll come to soon."

She didn't really want to go back. Despite everything Amber had just said, the fact of the matter was – whether they knew where to look or not – they failed to actually search for Anduin. Amber had been too focused on seeking revenge for Rell being hurt, and Sully seemed to care more about those damn raccoons he'd found than the safety of the prince. Still, she followed the other woman back because she was right: Taylor was their key to finding Anduin.

Larraine remained quiet for the rest of the afternoon, pacing back and forth near Taylor and Rell, Fang following closely at her heels. Each hour that passed, Rell got worse – coughing violently often for minutes at a time, bright red blood occasionally tinging his lips, each fit making it harder for him to breathe. She began to worry her bottom lip between her teeth as she wondered if he would even survive his injuries, and a look at Mishka's worried face caused her stomach to tie in a knot.

"If only Anduin was here," she said mostly to herself, thinking that if he was with them Rell's injuries would have been easily dealt with.

"Aye," Sully agreed. "Soon as we find 'im, we kin go home and then I'm gonna drink till I'm sick an' spend a nice night with a couple o' fine lasses at The Singin' Strumpet."

"Sully!" Amber chastised him, and Larraine merely gaped at his comment.

"What?" he asked with a shrug, seemingly oblivious to the situation.

"I meant that I wish Anduin was here because he'd be able to heal Rell," Larraine clarified, and Sully at least had the decency to look ashamed for what he'd just said.

"Anduin," Taylor groaned, pulling their attention to his cot next to Rell's. "The White Pawn... is safe..."

"Admiral!" Sully cried out, hopping to his feet and rushing to assist Taylor in sitting up. The admiral let out another groan and brought a hand to his head, which he suddenly jerked away when he felt the thick bandage wrapped around it.

"How... How long have I been out?" he asked, looking from one relieved face to another.

"About a week," Larraine informed him.

Taylor's expression went blank and he screwed his eyes shut, bringing a hand to his head again. He winced a bit, shaking his head, then finally let out a sharp gasp as his eyes snapped open once more.

"The prince! I left him on the ship," he said, his voice strained in panic. "I locked him in his quarters for his own safety... Light, what have I done?"

"He got out," Larraine informed him.

"He did?" Taylor asked, looking to her, and she nodded.

"He managed to break out a porthole and escape the ship before his quarters were completely flooded."

"Light be praised," Taylor said with a relieved sigh. "So, where is he?"

"We don't know," Amber told him somberly.

"We was hopin' ye'd have an idea where we should look fer 'im," Sully added, and Taylor's relief turned back into panic.

"I... I'm sorry," Taylor told them all, shaking his head and closing his eyes in shame. "I don't know where he is. I meant to return to the wreckage, but I was captured by those horrible monkey things."

"So I take it that means he wasn't also captured by them?" Larraine wondered, and Taylor gave her a curious look. "I found a piece of his sash tied to one of their spears."

"Not that I know of," Taylor replied. "Of course, I was slipping in and out of consciousness so I suppose they could have brought him through their camp during one of the times I was out."

"Looks like we're back at square one," Sully remarked, and a sense of defeat permeated the atmosphere of their small camp. Silence fell over them all, the only sounds being the nature around them and Rell's ragged breathing as they all contemplated what to do next.

"Is he going to be okay?" Taylor finally broke the silence with his question, nodding toward Rell's prone form next to him.

"I..." Mishka started, then faltered and shook her head. "I am sorry. I have done all I am able for his injuries. I fear the only thing we can do now is make him comfortable."

"Dammit," Larraine swore as she started pacing again, and she gradually moved farther and farther away from the group as she willed herself not to cry in frustration. Taylor had been no help in their search for Anduin, and now Rell was dying. If she only had _some_ clue where to begin looking for the prince, she could easily remedy both situations by finding him and bringing him back to the jinyu village in order to have him give Rell the necessary healing he would need in order to make a full recovery.

A hand on her arm soon stopped her, and she looked up to find the young jinyu, Lu, standing before her with what appeared to be an uneasy smile upon his fish-like face.

"I may know someone who can help you find your White Pawn," he told her quietly.

"You do? Why are you only telling us this now?" she asked, gesturing toward the others, and Lu's face flushed pink.

"I was so excited to be included in such an important mission that it slipped my mind until now," he offered, bowing apologetically.

"So?" Larraine prompted. "Tell me about this person you said can help."

"His name is Cho," Lu informed her. "He is a pandaren who lives in seclusion here in the forest, and he knows this land better than anyone."

"So how do I find him?"

"Head southwest of the village, to the far edge of the marsh," Lu instructed her, pointing in the direction she would need to go. "There, you will find a pandaren-style pavilion upon a small hill where he makes his home."

"Thank you, Lu," she said and kissed him on the cheek, causing his skin to turn an even brighter shade of pink than it had before. "Tell the others I'll be back as soon as I can."

Lu nodded and she smiled at him, then went back to the hut of the tribe elder to retrieve her things from where she had left them earlier in the day. She double-checked to make sure she had enough provisions in case she had to travel farther than the hut of he pandaren she was going to speak to, and was surprised to find someone from the village had tucked a generous amount of tortoise jerky in with her regular supplies. She grabbed a piece and tore it in half, then stuck one piece in her mouth and offered the other to Fang – who eagerly gobbled it up while she finished preparing.

"Alright, boy, let's go," she told him once she was ready, and he let out a small bark of approval. She ruffled the fur on top of his head and the two of them set out, Larraine hoping against hope that – _finally_ – she might find a decent clue as to Anduin's whereabouts.


	9. Chapter 9

Larraine was glad for the path she stumbled upon during her search for Cho's hut. The fog surrounding the marsh was oddly thick for the time of day, making it difficult to tell if she and Fang were actually traveling in a straight line or if they were merely walking themselves in circles. Eventually, they came across a worn signpost, and she was relieved to find the words carved into it were written in a language she understood. A post directed toward an offshoot of the path they had been traveling on was labeled Dreamer's Rest, and though she had no idea what such a place might be she was at least hopeful that someone there might be able to point her in the proper direction.

The two of them made their way down the side path, and though Fang kept looking toward her with his ears perked up she chose to ignore the strange noises she heard coming from within the thick pockets of mist. They were unlike any wild animal sounds she'd ever heard before, a combination of a growl and a pained moan which made her feel even more uneasy than she already was due to the limited visibility. As they continued along the path, the noises grew farther away and the fog began to clear to a lighter mist which gave everything a sort of etheral-looking glow in the fading sunlight.

Suddenly, Fang took off at a run and Larraine began to call after him – then stopped when she saw where he was headed. The ground sloped upward slightly before her, creating a small hill at the very edge of the marsh they had just emerged from, and seated upon that hill was some sort of pandaren dwelling. The entirety of the property was surrounded by a stone wall, the center of which sported a perfectly-round gate which was accessed by finely-crafted set of stone steps.

"Think this is the place?" she asked her wolf, and he jumped about a bit before running up the steps ahead of her and through the open gate.

Larraine felt strange, just walking onto the property without having been invited. Judging by the fence and the location of the dwelling, the owner was likely a person who cherished their privacy. The gate _was_ open, however, and the other pandaren she had met back at Paw'don Village had been welcoming of her and the others in spite of them being foreign strangers. She figured this was likely Cho's home, but in the event it wasn't she would merely apologize for the intrusion and ask that the owner assist her in finding him.

"Wow," she whispered in awe as she stepped through the gate, taking in everything the fence had been hiding from her sight. In the center of the area was a wide stone courtyard which opened up to two paths: one leading to a small house, and the other to a traditional-looking pavilion sporting several decorative lanterns hanging from its roof. Unusual trees rose high into the sky all around, seeming to have sprouted directly from the patches of rich, dark green grass surrounding the facilities like some sort of giant, majestic flowers.

Looking to her side, she found a large tiger sleeping on a patch of green just inside the gate. Figuring the animal was likely some sort of guardian, she slowly approached it with an outstretched hand, speaking calmly to the animal to let it know of her presence before touching it gently on top of its head. The great cat barely stirred, lifting its head up only a few inches as it opened its eyes halfway to take in her appearance. Then it settled back down to sleep, once more. Larraine smiled as she continued to run her hands through the tiger's soft, thick fur for a few more seconds, then she began to explore the rest of her surroundings.

"Hello?" she called out to whoever might be home, but no one answered or came to the open door of the small house.

The sound of crashing waves reached her ears, and she walked past the house toward it, thinking perhaps there was a path leading down to a beach. Unfortunately, the land simply dropped off in a steep cliff, and the only path appeared to lead to a small strip of land bearing a short dock with a pile of traps and a fishing chair upon it. She sighed and turned to go back to the courtyard, then gasped when she saw the wreckage of Horde ships in the distance. She wondered if those were the same ships they had attacked when they first reached Pandaria, or if they were merely more casualties of the storm which had caused Taylor's vessel to eventually wreck upon the shore.

Deciding not to dwell too much upon it, she returned to the house and looked around for any sign of who lived there. She knew it was still inhabited, not only because of the tiger outside but because there was a pot full of some sort of stew slowly cooking on the fire inside and a large pitcher of steaming tea set upon a low table just inside the front door. She knew it would be impolite to partake of any refreshments in the absence of the home's owner, but she was feeling particularly thirsty from the walk she and Fang had taken through the jungle and the pandaren tea she'd had before had been some of the best she'd ever drank.

"I suppose just a little drink won't hurt," she reasoned, pouring some of the liquid into a small bowl she assumed was some sort of serving vessel. "I'll be sure to tell the homeowner I had some and apologize if they take offense."

She looked curiously at the liquid swirling in the bowl as she held it in her hands. It was an odd color – almost a pale, misty, golden-blue shade – and one she had never seen before in tea. Furthermore, even though she had poured it from the container it was still constantly producing steam. For a moment, she contemplated not drinking the substance in case it was some sort of poison or cleaning product, but the sweet, fruity, floral scent was far too tempting. With a shrug of her shoulders, she drank the liquid and sat the bowl down as she tried to discern what sort of flavor it had. It wasn't anything she could really put her finger on, but there was a rich, earth quality to it that didn't match up with either the look or smell of the concoction.

No sooner had she thought about the disparity between the taste of the tea and its appearance than she began to feel its effects. She began to feel lightheaded and very loose, and she swore it was like she was outside of her body. She grabbed for the nearest solid object but her hand seemed to go right through it, and she gasped in shock and stumbled back outside to the courtyard in search of Fang so she could send him to go get help from the others back at the jinyu settlement.

"Two hundred ships at my disposal, yet the one carrying _my son_ goes missing!"

She heard the voice of the king, repeating the very words which had led to her being in Pandaria, and turned to see a giant wolf with gleaming white fur striding toward her with a murderous gleam in its eyes. She quickly backpedaled away from from it, but soon the wolf burst into a cloud of smoke, leaving Stormwind's king standing in its place.

"I am sorry, but I cannot go back just yet."

"Anduin!" Larraine exclaimed, spinning around at the sound of the prince voice. He was standing there, his hand extended toward where his father now stood, wings of brilliant golden light emanating from his back. She rushed over to hug him in her relief, but ended up passing right through him and nearly ended up falling onto her face as she tripped over her own feet.

"Anduin?" she repeated his name as she turned to look back at him, her brain trying to comprehend what was going on.

"I've decided to search for the Vale..." she heard him say, his voice echoing as he suddenly took off and ran toward the gate at the other side of the courtyard.

"Anduin, wait!" Larraine called and she began to chase after him, but she soon stopped dead in her tracks when the entire length of the fence surrounding the area burst into flames.

She watched in horror as Horde banners appeared around the gate as well as across the top of it, and then a massive figure emerged from the flames right above Anduin: Garrosh Hellscream, the current Warchief of the Horde.

"Storm the shores," Hellscream yelled, his deep voice so loud that Larraine had to cover her ears, "and paint this new continent red!"

Hellscream's voice somehow still rang as loudly and clearly in her ears as if she hadn't been covering them, and Larraine whimpered as the sound of his words continued to reverberate in her head. Crying out, she doubled over until she was curled up on the ground, her eyes squeezed shut in an attempt to blot out the horrible sounds and images she had just seen before her.

"My, my," came a new voice, muffled slightly by her hands over her ears. "Hello, stranger!"

This voice was unfamiliar to her, but had the same inflection as other pandaren she had spoken with, and so she cautiously cracked open one eye to see who was addressing her. To her surprise, she found that she was not lying outside in the courtyard but in the middle of the floor within the house. She blinked in confusion and lowered her hands from the sides of her head, then pulled herself up into a sitting position and looked around at her surroundings.

"I... what happened?" she asked, looking to the pandaren who had found her, only to find him watching her with an amused smirk on his face.

"It seems you have sampled some of my dream brew," he told her, lifting up the pitcher she'd poured her drink from.

"What I saw... I thought... It was all a dream?"

The pandaren shrugged, still smiling at her. "Its visions are hard to interpret – half truth, half illusion. Who's to say which is which?"

"That's why he couldn't hear me," she said to herself, recalling not only how Anduin had seemingly ignored her presence, but the way she'd literally passed through him like he was nothing more than a ghost.

"What is it that brings you here, stranger?" the pandaren asked her, and Larraine snapped out of her thoughts and looked to him.

"I'm looking for someone named Cho," she said to him. "I was told by one of the jinyu that he could help me find my missing friend."

"I am Cho," the pandaren greeted her with a bow. "Might I know your name?"

"Larraine," she told him, sitting up on her knees and bowing forward in respect. "Please, Master Cho... I'm begging you. I need your help."

"There is no need for such gestures," Cho said, chuckling, and he patted her head with one of his paw-like hands. "I will be happy to help you find this missing friend of yours. But, first... Come, walk with me. Let us learn from one another."

"Learn?" Larraine echoed as she rose to her feet, and she followed Cho outside of his home.

"Yes," Cho replied with a nod of his head. "You see, I am a Lorewalker – a historian of sorts for my people. My instrument is the spoken word. I know all there is of this land, and you would do me a great honor by allowing me to learn something of your people while you are here."

"I suppose I could tell you some things of my people," Larraine agreed. "After all, I did drink your dream brew. What is it you would like to know?"

"Are your people fond of gardening?" Cho asked, and Larraine was so taken aback by the oddity of the question that she stopped in her tracks.

"I... suppose," she answered him. "I've known some people who keep small boxes in their windows where they plant flowers. Our king has an especially impressive garden, though he doesn't tend to it himself."

"Good," Cho said, turning back to her and extending his hand. Larraine reached out to take it, but when she looked down she found he was holding out a pair of pruning shears toward her.

"Um... what are these for?" she wondered, taking them from him. Cho merely gestured to a tall, rather misshapen shrubbery standing next to him.

"You want me to... prune your bush?" she asked, looking from the shrubbery back to the pandaren, who smiled and nodded to her.

"If you would be so kind," he requested, and Larraine quirked an eyebrow at the oddity of the situation. Still, she needed his help to find Anduin so she figured it couldn't hurt to humor him for a bit.

With a sigh, she stepped up to the shrubbery and looked it over, then chose a spot and began to cut down the plant. Cho soon stopped her, however, taking her hand in between both of his.

"Some people take their knives and lop away anything that displeases them," he said to her in his calm voice, "but this would kill the entire tree. That is not the Pandaren way."

Larraine looked to him and he gave her an enigmatic smile and a nod before releasing her hand, once again gesturing to the overgrown shrubbery before her. It took all of her willpower not to roll her eyes as she turned back to her task, and this time she looked the plant over more carefully before finally snipping away a piece that was sticking out at an odd angle. She then trimmed of another piece, then another, continuing until what was once a shapeless plant had started to change form into something more pleasing to the eye.

"That's it," Cho praised her as she continued working, "delicate cuts. Let the tree decide."

Larraine continued working at the shrubbery, not wanting to stop until Cho said it was okay even though she was acutely aware of the fact that the sun was already setting and it would soon be too dark to see where to make her cuts. After what felt like an hour had passed, Cho finally clapped his hands together and Larraine looked over to where he was to find him wearing a pleased grin upon his face.

"Well now! Who knew such beauty was hiding here?" he said, and Larraine took a step back to get a better look at what she had done. To her surprise, the previously overgrown plant now had a distinct corkscrew shape.

"Are you hungry?" Cho asked her, then began to walk back toward his house without waiting for her to answer. Larraine looked after him, then turned to Fang – who had laid down for a nap next to the tiger while she was trimming the shrubbery – but he seemed as confused as she felt. With a sigh, she carefully placed the pruning shears on the ground at the foot of the shrubbery, then gestured for her wolf to join her and followed Cho into his home.

"I have made a traditional pandaren stew," Cho said to her, setting out bowls at his small table for both of them and then adding a third on the floor. "I hope you do not mind."

"So far, I've enjoyed all the food I've tried here," Larraine assured him, then sat down upon one of the cushions surrounding the table. Cho smiled and lifted the pot of stew off his cooking fire, then placed it in the center of the table and removed the lid, after which he leaned over the pot and deeply inhailed its scent.

"Please," Cho encouraged Larraine, and she followed his example, sitting up on her knees in order to lean closer to the pot and inhale the scent of the stew bubbling within it.

"Eating is not just about the sense of taste alone," Cho said to her as he began to serve their meal. "Indeed, it is an experience for many of the senses. We look at our food, we smell it, we feel its texture in our mouths."

"I suppose I never really thought of it that way, before," she told him, holding out her bowl to him when he stretched out a hand to retrieve it from her in order to fill it.

"Our ability to enjoy our meals with so many senses is part of what places us above wild animals."

Fang growled in protest at his remark, and Cho chuckled.

"Well... _most_ wild animals, I should say," he amended, then picked up Fang's bowl and served him some stew, as well – making sure to pat the wolf on his head after he'd given it to him.

As they ate, Cho asked Larraine questions about everything from the different races of the Alliance and Horde – he particularly found the dwarves fascinating when he learned they also had a long-standing tradition of brewing their own drinks – to her own family and upbringing. She wasn't exactly comfortable talking about how her parents had died and the way she was taken in by Mathais as a favor to them with a complete stranger, but Cho had been kind and hospitable toward her and so she gave him the briefest overview she could of her childhood without having to go too far into the details which she knew would upset her.

"I see," he remarked thoughtfully after learning that she was, essentially, an orphan. "That is why you are so eager to find this missing friend of yours, yes? He is an important part of your family."

"We're not related," she corrected him.

"One does not have to share blood with another to consider them family," Cho said sagely. "In fact, I daresay our friends, our pets... all of our loved ones make up a greater part of our families than those who share our blood."

"I suppose you're right," Larraine agreed.

"Come," Cho urged, standing from the table. "I fear I have brought your spirit down with my curiosity about your life and I wish to make it up to you."

Larraine quietly got up from the table and followed him back outside, and the two of them walked together over to a portion of the wall next to his gate which sported a rather crude painting of moonlit path.

"Sadly, my – ah – artistic talents are somewhat lacking," Cho said, sounding embarrassed. "What would _you_ do to decorate my wall here?"

"Well, I... I don't know, really," Larraine replied, shaking her head. Cho smiled at her and wandered over to a small chest nearby, which he rummaged around in for a few minutes before returning to her with a painter's pallet sporting various colors of paint and a brush.

"Here. Don't say a word. Allow your image to speak."

"But... I don't really know how to paint," Larraine protested, but Cho practically shoved the pallet and brush into her hands."

"We pandaren prize beauty, and we find it all around us," he told her. "In the curves of a tree, the colors of a sunrise, even in the perfect physical form of a warrior's exquisite swordwork."

"I'm sorry, but didn't you say that you had something to help bring my spirits back up?"

"Yes, and this is it," Cho announced, gesturing to his own meager attempt at creating art. "Looking at things of beauty can make one happy, but it is _creating_ them which brings about the most happiness."

Larraine stared blankly at the wall for several moments, then turned back to Cho. She opened her mouth to protest, but he placed a finger to his lips to signal that she should remain silent. Not knowing what else to do to convey her frustration, she shrugged helplessly and hoped that her facial expression would be enough to let him know how clueless she was feeling.

"Look deep into yourself," he instructed her. "Listen to your soul, and let your heart guide your brush."

Larraine groaned and returned her attention to the wall, then – deciding it would be best to at least start with a clean slate – she dipped the brush into some grey paint and began to place random strokes across the landscape picture. Cho gave her an encouraging pat on the back and walked away to leave her to her work, and Larraine continued on for several minutes until she was staring at a blank grey spot on the wall.

"What should I do, Fang?" she asked, and her wolf whined and ran back into Cho's house. A minute later he came back with something in his mouth and dropped it at her feet, and Larraine bent down to pick up the leather journal she'd been carrying around with her ever since Bixby found it on the wreckage of Taylor's ship.

"You're right," she told him, staring at the golden letters on the cover. "I need Cho's help to find Anduin, so I should just suck it up and go along with whatever weird game this is he's playing."

She handed the journal to Fang and instructed him to put it back where he'd found it, then returned to her task at hand. Whether or not she needed Cho's help, though, she still had no idea what to paint. Deciding to attempt to take his advice, she dipped her brush in a random color and started to paint for a while, then switched to another color, followed by a third. As time wore on, she was vaguely aware that the sun had been completely replaced by the moon in the sky above, and Cho began to bring out candles to set about on the ground by the wall and around her feet in order to help her to see better.

Hours passed, and Larraine simply continued to add random bits of color to her stone canvas, hoping that _something_ would emerge from the mess she was making. She was about to give up and tell Cho it was an abstract piece when she saw it: a form was starting to emerge from the cacophony of color. Keeping her focus trained on that form, she spent the rest of the night adding additional colors and changing some of the ones she already had in the picture until a definite image finally took shape. At first, all she could tell was that it was a person. Then, as she added in more detail the person's identity came more and more into focus. His golden hair, his blue eyes, that smile of his which always made her feel happy and calm no matter how angry or upset she was...

"Anduin," she gasped, dropping the pallet and brush with the sudden realization of who she'd just spent the entire night painting. It wasn't a perfect portrait, but it was good enough to tell who it was supposed to be.

"Who is this?" Cho asked from behind her, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "A boy... But one who appears to have had no childhood – you can see it in his eyes. Is this your missing friend?"

"Yes," Larraine admitted, still surprised at who she'd ended up painting. Of all the people she could have chosen to create a portrait of, it had to be Anduin. Not her father, who had been taken from her far too soon, or her childhood hero – but Anduin. She supposed it made sense, though. She'd been concerned about his safety for more than a week, and Fang had brought her his journal before she started her actual painting, after all.

Cho made a thoughtful noise, pulling her attention to him, then handed a small sack of seeds to her.

"Come, you may help me feed my collection of exotic birds," he told her. "Then, we shall have some breakfast and you can assist me in creating some more of my dream brew so that you may find this young man."

Larraine had been about to give the pandaren a piece of her mind when he foisted yet another chore upon her – especially considering she'd spent the entire night standing there painting his wall – but once she learned what the rest of Cho's plans for the day were she soon calmed down. Cho led her to a grouping of trees situated nearly halfway between his home and the pavilion, then demonstrated what she should do by taking a handful of seeds from the bag in her hands and gently sprinkling them across the grass in front of them. Larraine followed suit, spreading out some more of the seeds from the bag, then stopped when she heard the sound of feathers ruffling and something walking toward them through the trees.

"Here they come," Cho said proudly. "You see how easy it is to make friends here? One should always remember that not all allies will be won over by sword point."

Larraine nodded in agreement with Cho, but her attention was focused on the tall, graceful birds which were starting to emerge. They had featherless legs which were like those of a crow but much longer and the graceful necks of swans, but their heads and were different. Black feathers topped their heads and also made up their tails, contrasting with the pure white of their bodies and the vibrant splash of red across each of their crowns. She scooped some more seeds into her hand and held out her palm, attempting to entice one of the birds closer so she could get a better look, and was rewarded when – after a couple of minutes – one of them finally wandered cautiously toward her and began to gently take the offered food from her hand.

"They're beautiful," she said in awe at the creature, amazed by the additional markings she could see up close.

"Thank you," Cho replied. "That one is named Autumn. She is the tamest of my birds. Sometimes I even use her to ride from one village to another."

"You ride them?" Larraine asked and turned to look at him in shock. Like all the other pandaren she had met, Cho was not by any means small, and the bird's legs were so delicate-looking she couldn't help but wonder how they didn't collapse under so much weight.

"Their legs are stronger than you might think," Cho informed her, as though he was able to read her mind.

"I see," Larraine said, feeling a blush creep into her cheeks.

"I am sure you must be hungry after painting all night," Cho said, smiling. "Let us eat, and then I will do what I can to help you find your prince."

Larraine stared after Cho as he made his way to his home, then gave Fang a puzzled look. For all the things she had said to Cho about Anduin, she couldn't remember having ever told him that he was a prince.


	10. Chapter 10

Larraine remained quiet during the morning meal she and Fang shared with Cho, her gaze sweeping about the inside of the hut whenever the pandaren didn't appear to be paying attention to her. She was _certain_ she hadn't said anything to him about Anduin being a prince, and now she worried that perhaps she had allowed herself to walk right into a trap. Maybe Cho was in league with the Horde – though the Horde forces had only been there for a short while prior to the arrival of her and the others, she assumed it could be possible – and he was only helping her so that he could find out where Anduin was for Hellscream. It would certain explain the Warchief's appearance in the vision she'd had the previous day.

"There is something on your mind, my young friend," Cho addressed her, and she turned her gaze down toward the bowl of fish soup she had been eating.

"Do not play coy with me, I can sense the doubt in your soul."

Her eyes snapped up to meet Cho's, and he gave her the same kind smile he always seemed to be wearing despite the fact she was well aware of the accusatory look upon her own face.

"How did you know Anduin is a prince?" she asked him point blank, hoping that her trust in him had not been misplaced all along.

"Ah, it seems my tongue has given my secret away," Cho said with a chuckle, and Larraine slowly began to reach for her mother's dagger at her hip, knowing her bow was too far away for her to reach it in time should she need to protect herself.

"I am a bit of a... how do you say... busybody?" he continued to speak, waving his hands about. "I looked through your pack last night while you were working on that painting you so graciously did for me."

"You looked through my things?" Larraine snapped. She got up from the table and quickly retrieved her bag from where it was sitting by the door, then opened it and began to check that all of the contents were still inside.

"Yes, and I apologize," Cho told her, frowning slightly and bowing to her over the table. "It is an unfortunate habit of mine to look through the belongings of others in order to learn more about the kind of person that they are."

"I take it that means you also read this?" she asked, pulling Anduin's journal from her pack and holding it up to show him.

"No, I did not," Cho insisted. "However, it was not hard to deduce who the owner of that fine book is. Your friend's name is Anduin, and those initials upon the front cover begin with an A."

"That _still_ doesn't explain how you know he's a prince!" she shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at him, though now she was more angry at having her things gone through than concerned he was some sort of secret agent of the Horde.

"That is a finely-made book, no doubt very expensive. The penmanship it also impeccable. And no," he said, holding up a hand to stop her from interrupting him, "I did not read any of the entries. I merely glanced at some of the pages to see what the handwriting might tell me about the one who wrote it."

"Oh, really?" Larraine said, then scoffed in disbelief as she shoved Anduin's journal back into her bag. "And what did it tell you?"

"The writer strives for perfection in all he does, but he sometimes lacks confidence," Cho told her, finally rising from his place at the table and approaching her as he continued to speak. "He is well-educated, and probably had lessons in penmanship – which is not something most people are given. That, combined with the expensive appearance of the journal, is what led me to believe he was a young man of means. Your portrait of him, however, was what led to me concluding that he is a prince."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, shaking her head in confusion as to how her somewhat crude portrait of Anduin had given him any indication that he was a prince.

"While you are by no means an supremely gifted artist, you were able to capture his eyes brilliantly," Cho explained. "And in those eyes, I could see the look of a young man who has been forced to grow up far too quickly. Were he just any young man of means, he would likely have a more carefree spirit about him. Your Anduin, however, has the unfortunate burden of attempting to balance a somewhat normal life with the everyday pressures of the crown he will no doubt inherit someday."

Larraine remained silent, her mouth agape in wonder. Everything Cho had said, from the analysis of the handwriting in the journal to the impression he got from her painting, fit Anduin perfectly. Even when they had first met, he had been struggling with the balance between his studies and duties as the Prince-cum-King of Stormwind and his desire to do things any other normal child would have been allowed to do. In more recent years, the conflict between his father's expectations for him and his desires to follow his own path in life had caused even more of a hardened sadness in his eyes that Larraine always did her best to help alleviate both in her letters as well as during the increasingly rare occasions when they got to see one another.

"And I can also see you care a great deal for the boy," Cho remarked, pulling her out of her thoughts. "Otherwise, you would not have been compelled to paint his picture last night, nor would you be so protective of that book and whatever it is he has written within its pages."

"He's the only real friend I have," she admitted quietly, then cleared her throat and leveled her gaze with Cho's in an attempt to make herself appear more confident. "I mean, I _do_ have other friends. Not just Anduin. He's simply the one I trust the most. And he's my prince, so why wouldn't I want to find him and bring him home safely?"

Cho let out a hearty chuckle and reached with one large hand to pat her shoulder. "Of course. And I aim to help you find him, but first I will need you to gather some ingredients for me."

"Why?" Larraine wondered. "Can't you just give me some more of that stuff I drank yesterday?"

"Yes, but it is an older batch," Cho told her, holding up a finger. "It has lost much of its potency, otherwise it would work perfectly for what it is we must do in order for you to find the prince."

"So what do you need me to get for you?" she asked, and Cho wandered about his home for a bit before returning to her with three empty jars.

"You will need to gather three distinct ingredients for me," he instructed, handing the jars to her. "First, I will need the eyes of a bog crocolisk in order to give the brew its proper body. I also require the wings of some of the glittering amberflies near here to give the mixture its distinguishing color."

"You want me to kill a creature for its wings just to make the brew a pretty _color_?" Larraine asked, horrified. She had been trained to respect all of the world's creatures as fellow living beings, only to be hunted for necessity or in order to protect oneself, their family, or their livelihood – in which case the beasts were almost always also made use of in some way. To simply kill them for the sake of making a drink look more appetizing seemed incredibly immoral, to her.

"It is _mostly_ for the color, but their wings also possess a sedative quality which assists the one who drinks the brew in attaining the proper state of consciousness needed in order to receive their vision."

"Fine," Larraine begrudgingly agreed. She still didn't feel right, killing animals just for certain parts, but she had to do what needed to be done in order to rescue Anduin from whatever danger he might be in.

"Finally," Cho continued, "for potency, I will need the heart of a mist horror."

"A what?" Larraine wondered, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"It is a creature said to appear only where the fog is deepest," he explained. "In order to lure one out, you must kill some of the smaller mist creepers which shamble about in the marsh nearby. Once one makes its appearance, defeat it and place its heart into your final jar. Then, bring everything back here to me and I will make a fresh batch of Dream Brew for you."

"Got it," Larraine said, then carefully packed the three jars into her bag and retrieved her bow and quiver. Cho wished her luck and she waved back over her shoulder to him as she and Fang made their way back out into the marsh they had traveled through while seeking out Cho's home.

The fog was nearly as thick as it had been the day before, but some patches had cleared up enough to allow her to see where they were going so that they could safely leave the path. They walked for a while before finally coming upon a rather large crocolisk, and Larraine signaled for Fang to move in before carefully taking aim with her bow. Normally, she would have shot the creature through one of its eyes – a tricky shot, but one she knew she could make which would also cause a quick and relatively painless death for her prey – but she needed the eyes intact and so she instead waited for Fang to attack and hoped he would be able to move the large beast into a better position so she could easily pierce its heart.

She watched as her wolf jumped from a crouching position behind the crocolisk, leaping onto it's thickly-scaled back. He bit into the side of the creature's neck and held on tight as it began thrashing about, moving his head in a controlled way which allowed him to continue holding on without getting his own neck snapped in the process. Thankfully, his own size rivaled that of the crocolisk despite it being such a large animal, and so he had little trouble keeping his footing upon its back. Larraine remained perfectly still, her bow pulled tight, and as soon as the beast reared back a bit and exposed its vulnerable, soft underside, she loosed her arrow straight into its chest, then quickly followed it up with a second and third in case the first had missed its mark. The crocolisk continued to struggle, but after another minute it slowed down considerably. Fang finally jumped off the creature's back and took a few steps away from it, then charged into its side and sent it flipping onto its back. Still, the large beast continued to squirm, struggling to hold on to the very last bit of its life. Larraine soon put an end to that, however, by shooting one final arrow directly into its heart.

She felt a heaviness in her chest as she approached the dead crocolisk, and hoped her mentor would forgive her for such a sloppy kill. What should have only taken a single shot – perhaps two – had taken _four_ , and she could tell the poor creature had suffered greatly in its final moments.

"I'm sorry," she apologized to the fallen beast, then knelt down and pulled her arrows from the beast's body. She sat there for a moment in quiet contemplation, thinking that perhaps she should at least honor the beast by making use of more than its eyes, but she was too far from home to get much of it properly processed. Normally, the skin would be used for armor and the bones would be used to make everything from sewing needles to daggers to simple trinkets, but all she could really do was harvest some of the meat and hope that Cho would at least appreciate the gesture and make use of it somehow.

With a sigh, she used her mother's dagger to butcher a couple of the better cuts of meat from the beast, then carefully removed its eyes and placed them into one of the jars Cho had given her. She hated leaving so much to waste, but at least whatever scavengers existed in the pandaren jungle would get a good meal, or perhaps someone native to the area might stumble upon the kill before it had gone bad and make use of what she had to leave behind.

Her mood was no more improved by her need to kill some of the amberflies which inhabited the area, which was further compounded by the fact that the beautiful, wasp-like creatures appeared to not be hostile at all. However, she could at least take some solace in the fact that she could kill them in an efficient and humane way – even if she still felt guilty for having to do it at all in the first place. With their wings collected and the proper respects paid, all that was left to do was draw out a mist horror.

After a brief internal debate, she finally decided to leave the clearer areas of the marsh and moved deeper into the fog. Fang remained close at her side, likely not wanting to lose sight of her as much as she didn't want to lose sight of him, and they slowly and carefully traversed the marshy landscape in search for whatever sort of creature a marsh creeper might be.

Before long, Larraine began hearing strange sounds close by which were much like the ones she'd heard coming from within the fog near Cho's home the previous day. She readied an arrow as they continued toward the sound, but soon it faded away and she relaxed her stance. That proved to be a mistake, however, when a moment later a creature the size of a large man came bounding toward them from the fog, violently waving about limbs which appeared to be made from moss and tangled roots. Larraine quickly brought her bow up, aiming for the single, large eye it possessed, and sent a shot flying straight into it.

As soon as the arrow hit its mark, the creature dissolved into a brownish mist with a horrifying screech, but Larraine didn't let her guard down again. Cho had told her she would need to kill several of them before the mist horror whose heart she needed would appear, and so she called Fang to her side and began to slowly turn in circles as they walked, her senses on high alert as she scanned the fog around them with a carefully-trained eye for any signs of another incoming attack. After several minutes of quiet, two more of the creatures emerged from seemingly out of nowhere, shambling quickly in their direction. Larraine shot one down while Fang attacked the other and both of the creatures dissolved in a single hit just as the first had done. This continued for what seemed like hours, and Larraine was acutely aware of the density of the fog gradually increasing as time wore on.

"Fang!" she called after they killed yet another group of creepers, this time four of them. That was something else she had noticed – the number of creepers that came after them had also been growing. First, there had been one, then two pairs, then three groups of three, and finally they had started to come in packs of four. That had been their fourth pack, so now she was anticipating a group of five to show up next and she wanted to be sure her companion was close by when the time came. She called after him again when he failed to make any noise to answer her, but soon she felt him rub against her leg and she reached down to pat his head.

"I sure hope you're having an easier time seeing in this than I am, boy," she said, struggling to see through the fog even though she was using every bit of her training to enhance her natural gifts. If things kept going the way they were, soon she wouldn't even be able to see her hand pressed up to her own face.

Silence continued to permeate the thick air around them, but somehow it was different this time than it had been after the other creepers that had attacked them. Before, she had still been able to faintly hear the ambient sounds of the jungle around them. Now, however, there was nothing but Fang's breathing, the beating of her heart, and the stillness around them. After another couple of minuted of silence, Larraine began to weigh her options, wondering if it was really worth the risk of the two of them suddenly getting ambushed just so she could tap farther into her senses to attempt to locate any additional creepers which might be hiding in the mist surrounding them.

Fang suddenly started growling next to her, and Larraine bent down close to him to see where he was looking, then turned in the same direction and squinted as she peered through the fog. To her surprise, she could actually _see_ the fog moving toward a single point as though it was being collected together by some unseen force. The air around them gradually cleared and she left out a sigh of relief at the increased visibility – but soon that relief turned to dread.

The fog had, indeed, been gathering together in one particular spot, and upon that spot stood a towering being unlike anything Larraine had ever seen. It resembled the smaller mist creepers, but was easily as big as all of the ones she and Fang had killed _combined_ and had the added feature of some sort of slimy, dark green substance covering its entire body. Unlike the others, its single eye glowed eerily, and that eyes was fixated right upon them.

It opened its mouth and let out a sound somewhere between a shriek and a roar, then charged at them. Larraine fired a shot and missed, her arrow hitting the horror in the shoulder rather than its eye, and the jumped aside just in time to avoid being trampled by the creature's trunk-like legs. It stopped once it realized she had evaded it, then slowly turned toward her. Fang took the opportunity to jump up and grab one of its long arms, and he shook his head and pulled back with all his might in an effort to at least distract the monstrosity. It turned its gaze upon the wolf and raised its other arm, flexing its thick, heavy root-fingers, and Larraine sent an arrow into its hand to pull the creature's attention back to her out of fear for her beloved pet's safety.

Now torn between two targets, the mist horror looked back and forth between her and Fang, as if trying to decide who was the bigger threat and therefore warranted being dealt with first. Larraine took advantage of the situation, sending a couple more arrows into its chest – being sure to avoid where she assumed the heart would be since they needed it – and eventually it settled on her being the most threatening of the two of them and stared her down with its giant, glowing eye.

"That's it," Larraine muttered, smirking a bit. "Look right over here, you ugly son of a bitch."

Now having the creature's full attention, she knocked two arrows into her bow at the same time and sent them both flying into the horror's eye. The creature howled and reached for its eye, doubling over in pain, and she sent a third between its fingers and into the eye's very center. Another horrific howl came from the creature as it stumbled backward, and then it slowly sank to its knees before falling over, dead.

Larraine cautiously approached the dead horror, part of her expecting it to suddenly sit up and grab either her or Fang and eat them like something out of a campfire tale, but it remained completely unmoving. Satisfied that the thing was indeed dead, she cut open its chest and began digging around in search of its heart. The inside of the creature was filled with a thick goop which Larraine wasn't sure she wanted to know the origin of, and she had to swallow heavily a few times to keep herself from vomiting at the foul odor of it, but thankfully she found the heart in short order and placed it in the final jar Cho had provided for her.

With her tasks completed, she took a moment to quickly wash her hands in a nearby pool of water, then she and Fang began to make their way back to Cho's home. Surprisingly, with the fog cleared away she could see that they hadn't ventured all that far away from Dreamer's Rest, and it only took a matter of a few minutes for them to arrive back at Cho's door.

"Ah, I see you have returned!" Cho greeted them, looking up from some form of writing he had been working on at a low table in the corner.

"It wasn't exactly easy, but we got everything you asked for," Larraine told him, then set out the three jars and the crocolisk meat she had retrieved upon the table where they had taken their meals. "I also brought you this meat. I thought you might be able to use it."

"My, that is very generous of you!" Cho graciously accepted her offering, and he rose from his seat to retrieve the jars and examine the objects within.

"Excellent specimens!" he said with a nod. "I will begin the brewing process, and while we wait I shall use the meat you brought to make us some lunch."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Larraine asked, and Cho chuckled and shook his head.

"You have already done enough for me, my young friend," he told her. "Please, go outside and enjoy this lovely day. I will let you know when our meal is ready."

Larraine nodded and set her things aside, then went outside and sat under one of the large trees near where she had fed Cho's birds that morning. Fang laid down next to her and placed in his head in her lap, and she sighed as she began brushing her fingers through his fur.

"You're getting tired of all this running around, too, huh?" she asked him. "Well, with any luck this will be the _last_ thing we need to do in order to find Anduin."

The two of them continued to rest together in the shade of the tree, and after a while Larraine began to consider what she should do if Cho's Dream Brew actually worked and showed her where Anduin was. She supposed she could just go find him on her own, but a part of her knew she should probably go inform the others and have them join her. Then again, Rell was still badly injured – if he was even still alive at all – and while she liked Amber and Sully well enough neither of them really had the authority to order the crown prince of Stormwind to go home. Plus, if Cho's Dream Brew turned out to show her nothing which really led to them _actually_ finding Anduin, she would have wasted their time.

Cho soon called Larraine and Fang in for lunch, and the three of them ate a simple stir-fry of cocolisk and vegetables. It was very different preparation of crocolisk meat from what she was used to, and she was surprised that it hadn't become too tough to chew without some sort of slow preparation method. Fang quickly gobbled his up, but she ate hers a bit more slowly since Cho hadn't said the Dream Brew was ready yet. Once they had all finished, Cho gathered up their bowls and set them aside, then retrieved a clear glass vessel containing a familiar-looking liquid within it.

"It's ready?" Larraine eagerly asked, feeling like a child on the day of Winter Veil.

"Yes," Cho replied, chuckling. "However, this time when you drink it you must embrace the visions you see from a state of inner focus. Otherwise, they will come to you in a strange myriad of images you will not be able to make sense of."

"I see," Larraine said with a slight nod. "I suppose that's why, the last time I drank your dream brew, I saw so many strange things. But how do I find my inner focus?"

"Come with me to my pavilion, and I shall teach you," Cho instructed, carrying the Dream Brew outside, and Larraine followed him.

"Your troubled mind will present you with many distractions, but just remember to stay centered and you will achieve the sense of inner calm we pandaren value so much. _That_ is the key to finding your prince."

He led her to the pavilion across the courtyard from his home, and Larraine was surprised to find at least a dozen candles and several sicks of incense placed in a circle at the center. None of the items had been there when she first examined the area, and she wondered when Cho had set everything up. Perhaps he had done so while she was gathering the ingredients for the Dream Brew, but she supposed he just as easily could have done it during the night while she was painting. The pandaren gestured for her to sit within the circle and she carefully stepped over the items so as not to knock anything out of place, then she sat down cross-legged below the very center of the roof above her head.

"You must relax your spirit," Cho told her, lighting the candles and incense as he spoke. "Our minds can often become clouded with many thoughts, but you must clear yours of all else but that which you so desperately seek."

Larraine nodded and remained silent while Cho continued to circle around her, then he retrieved the Dream Brew from where he had set it down on a nearby bench and handed it to her.

"Drink up to begin, friend."

Without hesitation, she began to drink the brew, and continued to do so until Cho told her to stop. He then asked her to close her eyes and concentrate, and she complied. She soon felt the light-headedness that she had experienced following her earlier consumption of the Dream Brew, and she took a deep breath and attempted to focus solely upon Anduin. Her concentration was soon broken, however, when Cho suddenly slapped her upside the head with one of his large hands.

"What was that for?" Larraine snapped, turning to glare at him.

"You are not concentrating hard enough," Cho scolded her. " _True_ concentration enables us to block out all other distractions – both within ourselves and without."

He gestured for her to continue, and Larraine turned back and closed her eyes once more. She could hear Cho continue to speak about remaining in the center and being focused on the moment, but she ignored his words and instead concentrated on thinking about Anduin. She attempted to regain the feeling she'd had back in Paw'don Village, when she realized that he was still alive, and though it was faint it was still there. Tapping into her determination, she put all of her energy toward focusing upon that tiny glimmer of hope in her heart and soon it was as though Cho wasn't even there ant more. In fact, she didn't even feel like she was in her own body any more and soon she found herself flying high up above everything and soaring across the vast forest. She passed Pearlfin Village and what appeared to be another jinyu settlement which had been over-run by hozen.

Everything flew past her in a flash, but somehow she was still able to fully make out where she was going... and then she suddenly slowed down and hovered in the air above a particular spot. There was a circular path... a crossroads of some sort, perhaps... and low stone walls which had been intricately carved. Near the center of the area stood a tall stone tied with rope bearing unusual charms – probably some sort of shrine – and beyond that what appeared to be the entrance to some sort of cave.

Then... what she saw made her blood run cold, but she dare not stop watching. Anduin ran into the center of the area, pursued by a pair of hozen. Two more cut off his escape and the group attempted to trap him, backing him up toward one of the stone walls in order to block his escape. Three out of the four carried large spears with them and the largest of the group pointed its weapon threateningly at the young prince. She continued to watch as Anduin struck down one of the others with a bolt of holy fire straight from the heavens above, but the attack only served to infuriate the others and they hooted and hollered as they continued to close in on him.

"I won't die here. Not like this!"

Larraine felt proud as she watched him tap into the other side of his abilities in order to send his attackers running in the opposite direction. She knew that the shadow was a dangerous force to deal with, but when used sparingly it had little effect when compared upon those who regularly chose to tap into its power. This was one situation where it had been necessary and she was glad he had chosen to use it. However, the spell didn't last nearly as long as Anduin had probably hoped – though whether it was due to his reluctance to use the shadow or the number of enemies he had attempted to use the spell on, she wasn't sure. Either way, he soon ended up being chased once more by the remaining three hozen and she felt her panic begin to rise when she realized he was heading toward a dead end. As luck would have it, though, two pandaren were meditating at the very spot he was headed to, and they took it upon themselves to help rid the prince of his pursuers.

Larraine gasped, her eyes suddenly flying open, and she found Cho standing before her with a grin upon his face.

"Oh my! It seems a new urgency has hardened your resolve. I suppose my work here is done."

He bowed to her and Larraine quickly got to her feet and ran toward the house to retrieve her things, stopping only briefly to call her thanks and an apology over her shoulder after she knocked over several of the candles he had so carefully set up. She double-checked to make sure she still had Anduin's journal in her pack – in case Cho had gotten curious and started snooping again during her vision – then stepped outside and stopped short when she found the self-proclaimed Loremaster waiting for her.

"I take if your prince is in danger, yes?"

"Perhaps," she told him, shifting on the balls of her feet. "The last I saw of him, he was safe, but who knows how long that will last?"

"Please, take my crane so that you might get to him faster," he insisted, and Larraine followed his gaze to where the majestic bird was already waiting with a saddle upon its back.

"I really shouldn't," she protested, shaking her head. "That's your means of transportation and I'm not sure how long I will be gone or if I'll even come back here."

Cho chuckled. "All you need her for is to find your lost friend. Then, simply give her a tap behind the saddle and she will find her way back home to me."

"Are you sure?" Larraine asked. She really did want to take him up on the offer, because it _would_ help her get to Anduin faster, but she hated the idea of his beloved pet getting lost – or killed – somewhere in the forest. Cho merely laughed again and retrieved the mount for her, then handed the reins to her with a bow.

"Thank you," she said, then carefully mounted the large bird. It was quite different from other animals she had ridden, but the saddle was surprisingly comfortable.

"Good luck," Cho told her, and Larraine smiled at him before urging her borrowed mount out into the forest, Fang following at her side.

She didn't know how she knew where to go, but somehow it was as though she had been traveling the roads of Pandaria all her life. She quickly rode through the trees, giving Pearlfin Village a wide berth so no one there would notice and try to follow her. She then passed by the ruined village which was over-run by hozen and eventually came to the spot she'd seen in her vision – only something was different about it. Before, the only beings she had seen were Anduin and the hozen which were attempting to capture him. Now, however, there were several shadowy specrtres milling about.

She brought the crane to a halt and dismounted, then tapped it behind the saddle to send it back to Cho. The bird made a high-pitched sound as if to say goodbye, then set off in the direction they had just come, and Larraine looked across the way toward where she'd seen Anduin being attacked. Her eyes followed the path she recalled him taking, and she soon found the incline he'd gone up which had nearly resulted in his capture.

"Come on, Fang," she said, then carefully made her way toward the last known location of the Prince of Stormwind. She timed their movements so that the two of them could carefully skirt around the spirits inhabiting the area, not wanting to disturb them, but one of them managed to spot her and called a few of the others down upon her along with it.

Larraine swore under her breath and shot down one of the spirits, ordering Fang to stay at her side lest he end up causing more of them to notice their presence and come after them, as well. She continued to fire one shot after another, but her arrows hadn't been properly enhanced to deal with beings of a spiritual nature and aside from the first, smaller one she had hit it was taking entirely too many shots for them to go down. She kept stepping backwards as she gradually whittled down the health of each one until only the final, largest spirit of the bunch remained, but ended up tripping on a rock in the path behind her. She scrambled to right herself and fire another shot, but before she got the chance a brilliant streak of light flashed before her and she watched as the spirit faded back into the afterlife. Gasping for breath, she rolled onto her side and smiled at the sight before her.

"Anduin!" she cried out in relief, her happiness not at all affected by the look of absolute confusion on the prince's face.

"Larraine?" he said her name, his blue eyes narrowing slightly in disbelief that she, of all people, would be there. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, of course!" she told him, then she started laughing and laid back down on the ground.

With Anduin found, all of the adrenaline suddenly drained out of her system and the fact she hadn't slept in better than a day compounded with all of the fighting and running around she had been doing and finally caught up with her. The last thing she had the strength to do was let out a relieved sigh while saying a quiet prayer of thanks to the Light, and she could hear the sound of Anduin moving closer to her and asking if she was okay. And then she passed out.


	11. Chapter Eleven

It felt like days passed as she slept, her body finally having reached its limit from all the traveling and fighting and worrying she had done since she first set foot outside Stormwind Keep after hearing about Anduin's disappearance. Even in her dreams, she dreaded waking up because she knew the prince – being a healer – would chastise her for taking such poor care of her health. But he was there, he was alive, and she would endure any amount of lecturing he had for her because it meant she would get to see his face and hear his voice again.

She felt something brushing against her forehead and reached up absently with one hand to swat away the offending insect – or what she assumed to be an insect, anyway. Soon enough, however, the gentle touch returned and when she batted at it a second time with a groan of protest she heard a soft chuckle and opened her eyes. She then shut them once more as the early morning sun filtering through the canopy of the trees above attempted to blind her, and she turned her head toward the sound of the laughter she'd heard before making another attempt to look at her surroundings.

"Are you always this grouchy in the morning?"

"Only when people insist on waking me up," Larraine retorted, smiling at Anduin. He was kneeling next to her on the ground, his hand poised above her forehead. This time when he lowered it to touch her, she didn't swat it away. Instead, she closed her eyes and breathed a soft sigh as she felt the gentle warmth of the Light radiating from his hand.

"You seem much better this morning," he told her after he had finished his assessment, brushing his hand over her hair briefly before finally pulling away. "You had me a bit worried yesterday, though, with the way you suddenly passed out."

"I was just tired," she insisted, sitting up. A sudden wave of dizziness came over her and she immediately flopped back down onto the makeshift bed she'd been placed upon, and Anduin sighed and slid one of his hands under her shoulders in order to support her as he helped her to sit upright more slowly.

"You were a bit more than _just_ tired, Larraine," he admonished her, though she noted a fair amount of concern in his voice, as well. "You were suffering from complete exhaustion and a mild concussion."

"A concussion?" Larraine wondered, raising a hand to her temple. She hadn't fallen or hit her head at all during her search, so the fact she would have one baffled her. Then she remembered the way Cho had hit her upside the head while she was attempting to focus her energy after drinking the dream brew. With an annoyed sigh, she closed her eyes and shook her head briefly and then laughed.

"Alright, yes," she said, nodding. "I suppose I may have had one of those, as well, and not realized it."

"How did you even find me here?" Anduin asked her, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Well," she began, turning slightly so she could face him without having to twist half her body in an uncomfortable angle, "I met this pandaren and he made me a special tea. I drank the tea, and I saw a vision of you, running away from hozen. You defended yourself, then attempted to flee and ended up backing yourself into a corner, so to speak. Luckily, though, there were two pandaren meditating nearby and they came to your rescue. After I saw that, I found my way here using the landmarks I had seen in my vision as a guide."

"That's remarkable!" he exclaimed, his face lighting up in wonder. "Those events are exactly what transpired several days ago."

This time, it was Larraine's turn to look confused. "And you've been here all this time? Why not leave for some place safer? You _do_ realize your father sent a search party out to look for you, don't you?"

"I figured as much, but I just couldn't leave them," Anduin told her, shaking his head. "Not after they saved my life."

"Leave who?"

Anduin moved aside a bit and Larraine looked past him to where the two pandaren she'd seen in her vision were. The male was on his back, clutching his stomach in pain, while the female was kneeling next to him with her hands folded in her lap and her head bowed in either prayer or meditation.

"He was injured when they fought off the hozen that were pursuing me," Anduin explained, then let out a weary sigh. "I did everything I could to heal him, but it wasn't enough. I don't understand..."

Larraine reached up and placed a hand upon his shoulder, silently comforting him. She recalled part of a particular entry in his journal – where he had lamented being unable to save all of the people who were injured on Taylor's ship – and leaned against him as she wrapped her arms around one of his in a sort of half-hug.

"You did all that you could, Anduin," she assured him, her voice quiet and soothing. "That's all anyone can ever ask of you."

"I _should_ be able to do more," he argued, shaking his head.

"Maybe the hozen use some sort of poison on their weapons," Larraine suggested, thinking that if she could somehow convince him that the pandaren's continued suffering was due to no fault of his own he might cheer up a bit. "Without the proper antidote to use in addition, no amount of healing magic can overcome that."

"Maybe," Anduin said, turning to her, and Larraine lifted her head from his shoulder to look up at him and gave him a gentle smile.

"There's something I need you to help me with," he told her after a moment, and she released her hold on him and sat back with a nod.

"Alright, what do you need?"

"The cave near here is said to contain waters with special healing properties, as well as information about a place here in Pandaria which is supposedly a valley full of energy which sounds very much like the Light."

"So you want me to help you get some of the water to hopefully heal his pandaren," she surmised.

"Yes," Anduin replied, "and also I wish very much to find out more about this mystical place."

Larraine laughed a bit and carefully stood, then held out her hand to him.

"I would expect nothing less from you," she told him, and the prince smiled and took her hand before standing. Larraine's own smile fell, however, when she saw how unsteady he seemed on his feet. For the first time since she'd found him, she took a good look at him. In her excitement, she'd missed the fact that he looked utterly exhausted. His hair was a mess, his skin slightly ashen, and his blue eyes had dark circles around them from lack of sleep.

"Dammit, Anduin," she swore under her breath, then placed her hands on his shoulders and urged him to sit back down.

"I'm fine," he protested, attempting to stand once more. In his weakened state, however, she was able to easily overpower him and he finally sat down with a weary sigh.

"When was the last time you slept?" she demanded, still standing in front of him with her hands on his shoulders.

"Honestly?" he wondered, looking up to her. When she nodded, he averted his eyes once more with another sigh. "I haven't slept much since I first arrived here. A few hours here and there when I felt marginally safe, but most of the time was spent running until I came across these two. And then I was sleeping whenever I could in between trying to keep Ren alive. I didn't get any sleep at all last night, though. I was too worried about you, on top of everything else."

Larraine turned her gaze away from him and instead stared at her feet, suddenly feeling guilty for having been partially responsible for the state he was in. She'd run her own well-being into the ground during her desperate search for him, and as a result he'd ended up doing the same with his own.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, and he looked up at her with a confused look on his face.

"What for?"

"You wouldn't be so tired right now if I hadn't shown up here yesterday in the state I was in," she said, kneeling down by him. The prince merely chuckled and shook his head.

"Larraine, it's not your fault," he assured her. "Aside from my father, you're probably the _one_ person I can think of who I would expect nothing less than for them to drive themselves to their limit and beyond while searching for me."

"When was the last time you ate something?" she wondered and began looking for her pack. Perhaps if he had something to eat, it would at least give him a bit more strength.

"Two days ago, I think," Anduin answered, his brow furrowed in thought.

" _Two days_?" Larraine practically yelled, giving him a reproachful look before snatching her pack from where he'd set it. She hastily yanked it open, not bothering to hide her displeasure at his answer, and rooted around inside for a bit before finally pulling out some of the tortoise jerky the jinyu had given her and skin of water she'd been saving for herself in case she got hopelessly lost.

"Here, eat this," she ordered, shoving the items into his hands. The corner of Anduin's mouth quirked upward slightly in a smile and he quietly thanked her, then he ate the jerky and a couple of red bean buns she offered to him upon realizing she still had a few left.

"I can't believe you were stupid enough to stay up all night healing _two_ people after not having eaten for days," Larraine grumbled as she settled next to him on the ground to eat one of the buns herself.

"It's not like I had the opportunity or tools necessary to do any hunting," Anduin replied around a mouthful of jerky. He then held out a piece to Fang, who had come around to sit by them as soon as Larraine opened her pack. The wolf gratefully gobbled down the offered food, and Anduin scratched him behind one ear as he continued eating.

"How did you manage to survive up until that point, then?" she asked, and he took a second to wash down the food in his mouth with some of the water she'd given him before replying.

"I remembered what you told me about your lessons with Casia," he said, handing the water to her so she could have some, as well. "I figured, since we're still on Azeroth, the same logic probably applied to the plant life here as far as what's safe to eat and what isn't."

Larraine blushed and slowly lowered the water skin from her lips. "You remembered what I said?"

"Of course," Anduin told her, smiling. "It was hard _not_ to pay attention to you, the way you were excitedly dancing all over the place when you told me about everything you'd learned."

"Well, I hate to disappoint you," she said, handing the water back to him, "but I don't really remember much of what you've told me about _your_ lessons in the Light. Not that you've really divulged much about them to me, anyway."

"I'm not disappointed," he told her, shaking his head. "I understand that for those who aren't practitioners of the Light, or really any sort of magic, discussions on theory and practice can be rather boring."

"And I'm sure listening to me ramble on about my training in the ways of a hunter were just _so_ much more enthralling for you, right?"

Anduin shrugged. "I would rather listen to you talk about being a hunter than someone talk about being a warrior. At least I understand _some_ of it, since I'm an archer, myself. Plus, you learned a lot of wilderness survival which – quite honestly – would be beneficial for _everyone_ to know about, not just hunters."

"Still, I'm flattered that you would remember something I probably only managed to convey through a series of high-pitched squeals while skipping in circles around you."

The two of them laughed together over their shared memory, then Anduin took one final drink from her water skin before handing it back to her. Larraine stared quietly at him for a moment, still smiling, and realized just how much she missed being around him. Their times together had become rather sporadic following his father's return to Stormwind, but when he left for his training at the Exodar under Velen they all but ceased altogether. They wrote to one another as often as possible, but she couldn't hear his laughter through the words written on a page and that was one of the things she missed most of all. Odd as it was, this was the first time they'd spent any actual time in one another's company in months, and a part of her was dreading returning him home to Stormwind because she knew things would just go back to the way they had been and it would likely be another several months – or perhaps even _years_ – before they would get to sit and talk like this again.

"So, um," she started, clearing her throat and averting her gaze as she felt the threat of tears starting to form in her eyes. "I found this in the wreckage of Taylor's ship."

She pulled his journal from within her pack and held it out to him, still keeping her eyes cast downward. Anduin reached out and took the journal from her, but said nothing, and she listened as he began flipping through its pages.

"Actually, I didn't find it. Bixby did, but she gave it to me and I've been keeping it safe until I could give it back to you. I read the last few entries. I'm sorry, but I had hoped they might give me a clue as to your whereabouts."

"Larraine," Anduin said her name and gently placed a hand upon her wrist to cease her rambling. He waited until she finally looked at him, then smiled and shifted his grasp to take her hand in his and give it a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you. I thought I had lost this for good when I left it behind. As far as you reading it goes, well..." He held up the journal, opened to two of the water-logged pages which were completely illegible. "It appears that any of the entries I might not have wanted you or anyone else to see got destroyed, so it's fine."

A part of her wondered what he could have possibly written that he wouldn't want her to see, but she didn't pry. It was _his_ journal, meant for him to put down his most private thoughts. She felt bad enough about having read what she did, even though it seemed to have been written in the hopes that someone _would_ read it, so she would simply let their conversation about the journal end with the positive note that he had received it back and was grateful.

"Are you feeling a bit more up to exploring this cave you were talking about, now?" she asked him, wanting to change the subject before her curiosity got the better of her and she asked about what he'd written anyway, and he nodded in reply.

Still holding his hand, she stood and then pulled him to his feet with a playful smile. Anduin laughed as he stumbled to his feet, then he led the way down the hill to the cave's entrance – pausing only momentarily to let the female pandaren know where they were going and that they would be back, soon. She reminded them to search for some sort of poem and handed them an empty vessel to collect the sacred waters they were going to look for, then returned to her quiet meditation over her fallen companion.

"I feel sorry for her," Larraine said once they had entered the cave. "She reminds me of Amber, in a way."

"Amber... Agent Kearnen?" Anduin wondered, his brow furrowed in confusion. "How so?"

"Rell was badly hurt when he and the others were searching the forest," she told him, keeping an eye out while he went to a nearby pool and put some of the water from it into the vessel they'd been given. "Mishka did what she could to help him, but she's no healer."

"Will he be okay?" he asked, recapping the vessel and shaking some water from his hand.

"I don't know. He was in pretty bad shape when I left to look for you on my own. He... he might already be gone, by now."

"I'm sorry, Larraine."

"Maybe if he's still alive, though, you could help him when we get back to the others," she suggested, and he nodded in agreement.

"I'll do whatever I can for him, I promise," he told her, standing back up to his full height. He turned to her and reached up with one hand, then brushed his fingers gently across her cheek.

"Please, don't cry," he said, but her vision was already swimming with tears.

"I'm sorry," Larraine apologized. "I just keep thinking about how distraught Amber must be. They're apparently rather close to one another, like we are, and I know how much it would tear me apart – how much it _did_ tear me apart – when I thought I had lost you."

"You don't have to worry any more," Anduin said, taking both of her hands in his and gently squeezing them. "I'm right here."

Larraine pulled her hands from his and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, causing him to to stumble a little, but he quickly regained his footing and returned the gesture with a soft sigh.

"You're all I have left, Anduin," she told him, her voice muffled a bit against his chest. "When I heard you were missing, I _had_ to find you. I _needed_ to know you were safe. I did my best to keep my faith you were out there, somewhere, but... the longer it was taking to find you, the bigger the spark of doubt in my mind became. I was afraid, Anduin. I was _so scared_ I would never see you again."

"I'm not going anywhere, Larraine," he replied, his arms tightening around her when he felt her body shudder as she finally let out the tears she'd been holding back. "We made a promise, didn't we? We'll always be there for each other. It would be rather hard for me to hold up my end of the deal if anything were to happen to me, wouldn't it?"

"That's not funny!" she scolded him, smacking a hand against his chest before taking a step back. "I _saw_ what nearly happened to you, Anduin! If it hadn't been for those two pandaren being there, those hozen would have... At the very _least_ they would have captured you, if not worse."

"But they didn't," he reminded her, gently taking her face in his hands. "I got away, and Ren and Lina protected me. I'm safe. I'm here. And I'm _not going anywhere_."

He held her gaze, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb until she finally stopped crying, then continued to silently look into her eyes for a moment longer before leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead.

"Are you okay now?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I think so," she replied just as quietly, nodding her head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said, stepping back away from her. "I'm sure you're not the only person who's been worried about me since I've gone missing. Besides, I'd probably be in much the same state if I was in your position, too."

Larraine nodded once more and Anduin offered her one of his hands, which she took in hers. The two of them then continued to search the ancient cave for the other sources of sacred water housed within it, pausing only to deal with a few stray spirits they came across who turned aggressive upon their approach. Anduin cleansed each one of the strange corruption they seemed to have fallen to and, once purified, the spirits thanked them before pointing them in the direction they needed to go. Larraine was surprised to find that – once cleansed – the spirits seemed to be those of jinyu, though considering their fish-like appearance she supposed she shouldn't be all that surprised their spirits were guarding pools of sacred _water_.

"Is that everything, then?" she asked Anduin once he had finished gathering water from what she assumed to be the last pool in the cave, which they had found hidden away to the side of the most open area.

"No, there should be one more," he corrected her. "And we also need to find the poem Ren was planning to search for."

"What _is_ this poem, anyway?" she asked, falling in step beside him after he'd once more taken her hand. "Why is it so important?"

"It's about the Vale of Eternal Blossoms," he explained, a note of excitement in his voice. "The Vale is said to be full of some sort of energy which had incredible healing powers."

"So this is the place you were telling me about before, then?" she wondered, recalling how he'd mentioned a place with Light-like energy.

"Yes, and I must say I am just as interested as Ren to find out what sort of information this poem may hold about it."

"Alright, then," Larraine agreed. "We'll get the last bit of this special water, grab the poem, and then head back to camp."

Once the two of them reached the central room of the cave, they took a moment to figure out which way they had already been, then they took the one path they hadn't yet explored. It was no surprise at all when they entered another open area of the cave and found the largest spirit they had seen thus far guarding what appeared to be some sort of ancient scroll pinned to the back wall, and the two of them – along with Fang – battled against the dark, shadowy apparition until it was finally weakened enough that Anduin could properly cleanse it without fear of interruption.

"Finally!" the spirit said as the last of the darkness faded from it, leaving the visage of an old pandaren standing before them. "To be free from the grip of that darkness. The light! The blessed, beautiful light!"

Anduin perked up at the mention of the light, and he eagerly approached the spirit.

"What happened to you?" he asked, and the pandaren spirit bowed its head in shame.

"A thousand lifetimes ago, _I_ brought the waters here. A gift to the Pearlfin for ancient deeds. We guarded the waters. Too dangerous, too powerful, to fall into the wrong hands."

Larraine looked from the spirit to Anduin, but he prince did not seem at all dissuaded from his interest in what the spirit was saying despite the obvious note of foreboding in his voice.

"Then... the darkness came. It seeped from the ground. Slowly, it infected us... suffocated us! Even after our mortal flesh had rotted away, it leeched hope from our souls. It was unending!"

"What was the darkness that corrupted you?" Anduin wondered, but the spirit closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I shudder at the thought," he replied, backing away from the young prince. "An ancient evil. An enemy of Pandaria. I _will not_ speak their name."

"Wait!" Anduin called out as the spirit began to fade. "I'm searching for the Vale. Can you help me?"

"The Song of the Vale is upon the wall," the spirit said as he gestured to the scroll hanging nearby. "Take it. I hear the celestials calling. Thank you..."

His final words were a mere echo on the empty air where he had once stood, and Anduin continued to stare quietly at the empty spot for a moment longer before going to retrieve the scroll from where it was hanging.

"I don't know if we should really be pursuing this place, Anduin," Larraine warned him. "You heard what he said... all that stuff about too much power and darkness and corruption. I don't like it."

"Let's at least bring this back to Ren," Anduin insisted, rolling up the scroll. "Once the waters have healed him, maybe he can translate what's written on here. Then we'll decide if it's worth pursuing or not."

"Fine," Larraine agreed, albeit reluctantly. She knew Anduin well enough to know that once he had decided to pursue something it was hard to shake him from it – especially if that something had anything at all to do with the Light or healing. Perhaps the scroll would give more insight upon the darkness the spirit had been talking about, though, and with any luck that would be enough to convince Anduin that it wasn't worth the risk to keep pursuing whatever was within this Vale.

 

* * *

 

Anduin administered the sacred waters to Ren as soon as they returned to the camp, and then he and Larraine went into the wooded area nearby to hunt for food. For the most part, Anduin merely stood by while Larraine did the actual hunting, but she was still glad for the company. Within an hour she had killed and cleaned two large jungle birds – the latter part of the process had caused Anduin some obvious discomfort to watch, but he still remained at her side – and the two of them returned to camp in order to prepare the evening meal for themselves and the two pandaren.

Ren was awake by the time they returned to camp, and after eating he had regained enough of his strength to look over the Song of the Vale and begin work on translating it. The text was in an ancient tongue not many pandaren still spoke, he explained, but he was a historian and luckily was familiar enough with the intricacies of the older version of his people's native tongue written upon the parchment that he was sure he could come up with at least a rough translation.

It took all night for him to decipher the short poem in its entirety, and Larraine ended up falling asleep near the warm glow of the campfire while they were waiting. Thankfully, when she awoke just before dawn she found Anduin lying next to her, getting some much-needed rest of his own. She debated waking him, but decided to let him sleep in the end after remembering how he said he'd barely slept at all since he first found himself stranded in Pandaria.

She soon dozed off again, and didn't stir until Lina woke them both up and announced that Ren had finished his translation of the poem and breakfast was ready. She and Anduin groggily asked one another how they had slept, then laughed after their mutual response had been to merely shrug. Breakfast consisted of a strange combination of leftover meat from the night before and fresh-picked berries from the surrounding area, and Larraine wasn't quite sure if it was actually good or if she was merely hungry enough that anything would have had a decent flavor.

"So, what does the poem say?" Anduin asked once they had finished with their meal, no longer able to contain his excitement at the prospect of learning something else abut the Vale.

Ren chuckled and set aside his bowl, then picked up the scroll and cleared his throat before he began to read.

"There is a valley where dreamers sleep, where flowers bloom and willows weep. Where loamy earth springs life anew, and waters sparkle, clear and blue. Where every hearth brings peaceful ease, and beauty sings on every breeze."

"But is there anything about-" Anduin impatiently blurted out, and Ren held up a hand to silence him.

"Here the Sacred Pools sing pure," he continued, giving the prince a meaningful look. "Here, seek any who desire cure. Holy, nature, powers divine... turn death to life, death to life."

"So it _is_ a place of healing!" Anduin giddily exclaimed.

"So it would seem," Ren replied. He then rolled the scroll back up and stood. "As I told you before, young prince, I plan to search for more clues as to the location of the entrance for this mystical part of Pandaria. You are certainly welcome to join me, if you like."

"Of course I want to join you!" Anduin replied, scrambling to his feet, as well. Larraine gaped at him and stood, grasping one of his hands in hers.

"Anduin, no," she said firmly. "We have to get you back to Stormwind."

"Didn't you hear the poem, Larraine?" he replied, turning to her. "This place could be the key to _so much_. It could cure disease and stop the suffering of _so many_. I... I have to find it. I must study the Sacred Pools and their healing powers."

"I'm _not_ letting you go, Anduin," she insisted, her grip tightening on his hand. "It's too dangerous. We're _going home_."

"Larraine..."

He said her name softly, his voice calm and soothing, and stepped closer to her. She looked up at him and his incredibly blue eyes held her gaze steadily as he closed the distance between them. He then reached up with his free hand to touch the side of her face, causing her to feel a comforting warmth all over her body – like someone had just wrapped her in a heavy blanket on a cold day.

"I have to do this," he told her in that same, unearthly calm tone of voice. "You understand, don't you?"

"I... Yes," she agreed, nodding her head a single time. "I understand."

"Good," he told her, then easily pulled his hand from her grasp, though he continued to gently stroke her cheek with the other. "I want you to go back to the others. Tell them I'm safe, and that I will return once I have found the Vale and finished studying its healing properties."

"Okay," she said and left him to gather her things. She called to Fang to follow her, and the wolf made a confused sound, but fell into step behind her as she began to slowly walk away from the camp, though he kept looking back at Anduin and whining. Larraine ignored her pet's protests, not even verbally acknowledging them as she walked away from the prince and his two pandaren companions.

"Larraine!"

She stopped when she heard Anduin call her name once more, and turned to face him, her expression blank.

"I'm sorry," he said to her, and she nodded, then turned around and continued on her way back to the jinyu village, following his orders just as he had asked her to.


	12. Chapter 12

“ _...ain..”_

 

“ _...raine?”_

 

“Larraine!”

 

Larraine let out a soft gasp as someone violently shook her with their grip firmly upon her upper arms, calling her name in a loud voice tinged with worry. It took another moment for her foggy mind to realize it was none other than Amber standing before her, and she slowly blinked as she took in her surroundings and realized she was back in the Jinyu village.

 

“Wh-Where's Anduin?” she asked, her eyes slowly taking in the concerned faces around her. Amber and Admiral Taylor were standing directly in front of her, Mishka hovering just behind them and looking over their heads with a frown on her face.

 

“Eh? Didn't ya jus' say 'e was off somewhere else?”

 

She slowly turned her head to look at Sully, who was still seated at Rell's bedside despite his hazy gaze being firmly settled upon her.

 

“Huh? I was just with him, though...” she muttered slowly, and she wondered why she was feeling more sluggish than usual. Perhaps she had passed out again.

 

“You came wandering back in here in a daze, rambling about Anduin and a veil...” Taylor stated in a leading manner, no doubt trying to jog her memory.

 

Sully chuckled. “Maybe you was daydreamin' 'but marryin' tha prince!”

 

“No... that's not it...” she quietly said to herself, the lingering haze surrounding her mind finally starting to clear. “The vale... it's a place. Anduin wanted to...”

 

Her voice trailed off as her memory suddenly focused in full clarity and she recalled exactly what her last conversation with him had been like. He had wanted to go see the Vale for himself, but she'd insisted they return t the others. Then he'd heard her say her name, and everything after that was nothing more than a blank space until she found herself back with the others.

 

“Dammit!” she swore loudly, causing the three people in front of her to jump slightly at her sudden outburst.

 

“Larraine, what's going on?” Amber asked her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

 

“I _did_ find him,” she informed them. “I was about to bring him back here, but he wanted to go searching for the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, which is a place here that's supposed to be full of some sort of healing energy.”

 

“So why isn't he--”

 

“He mind controlled me!” Larraine blurted out, cutting off Amber's question. “He used a mind control spell on me and sent me back here so I couldn't stop him from going.”

 

“Why tha' cheeky lil'....” Sully muttered, sounding half-impressed. “I didn't think he had it in 'im.”

 

“What?” Taylor said in a quiet voice, though Larraine could tell there was a barely-concealed anger boiling just beneath the surface.

 

“He _what_?” the admiral bellowed a scant second later, and Larraine winced as she brought up a hand to cover the ear he had just yelled into.

 

“That son of a...” he swore angrily as he began to pace about. “I swear, when I get my hands on him I just might kill him myself!”

 

“Get in line, Admiral,” Larraine remarked, her tone sharp and yet full of disappointment. Letting out a heavy sigh, she crossed her arms over her chest and cast her gaze toward her feet. Not only had she failed to bring Anduin back safely, as she had planned, but she had also been deceived by the person she trusted the most in the world.

 

“I... need to be alone,” she told the others as she began walking away, but the sound of a whirring propellor stopped her in her tracks. She cast her gaze upward, expecting to see Gardenia upon her flying machine, but instead she spotted a rather familiar blue and white cap.

 

“Admiral!”

 

Sky Captain Rogers jumped off the back of the idling gyrocopter and saluted Taylor, who gave her a slight bow in recognition.

 

“Catherine,” he greeted her, his calm, authoritative tone belying his anger at Anduin's actions. “It's good that you're here. I was hoping that, with your support, we could push nor--”

 

“I'm afraid you'll have to push forward without us,” she cut off his request, shaking her head.

 

“What?” Taylor growled, his earlier anger starting to quickly return to the surface.

 

“His Majesty is already on his way here, and I have been ordered back to the main battlegroup in order to provide his escort,” she explained matter-of-factly, though beneath her professional demeanor she seemed genuinely regretful that she would be unable to provide Taylor with any further assistance.

 

“And what am I supposed to do in the meantime?” Taylor barked, no longer even attempting to retain his own professionalism. “I've got no men! On top of that, we don't know how many Horde there are or where they're located.”

 

“Put on your big boy pants, Taylor,” Rogers shot back, likely in retaliation for how he seemed to be blaming _her_ for the orders she was given. “I will leave Shaw's people with you, so might I suggest a scouting mission?”

 

“A _scouting mission_? Rogers, are you _blind_? Their leader is lying right over there, barely clinging to life!”

 

“That is no longer my concern!” she shouted back, then almost immediately looked as if she wished she could take back those words.

 

“It is a regrettable situation, and I truly am sorry,” she continued in a calmer tone. “However, these are my orders – _our_ orders – and we should do our best to fulfill them, just as we always do.”

 

“Fine,” Taylor assented through clenched teeth. Rogers gave him a slight nod and returned to her transport, then paused before taking off and looked to him once more.

 

“Perhaps you could try recruiting some of the locals,” she suggested, shouting over the sound of the blades spinning above her head. “I'll leave the situation in your capable hands. Admiral.”

 

Larraine and the others remained silent as they watched Rogers take off, then all eyes turned to Taylor as they awaited whatever instructions he might have for them. Taylor simply stood there with his eyes closed, breathing hard and clenching and unclenching his hands at his sides. After a long, tense moment, he finally let out a heavy sigh and turned to address them all.

 

“Amber, Sully... Ask around the village and see if any of the jinyu would be willing to join our forces. Do not force them. I want them to only come if they're truly willing to fight for the Alliance. Meanwhile, I will attempt to devise some sort of strategy for tracking and dealing with the Horde.”

 

“Yes, sir!” they both called out, then went in opposite directions in order to begin their recruitment efforts.

 

“And what would you have me do, Admiral?” Larraine asked, and Taylor merely shook his head as he looked her over.

 

“Nothing,” he replied, then turned away and began to retreat toward the home of the village elder.

 

“Nothing?” she repeated incredulously, jogging a few steps to catch up to him before falling into step at his side. “But I can help! I'm the one who managed to track down Anduin, after all.”

 

“Yes, and you let him get away!” Taylor pointed out, stopping mid-stride to turn his angry gaze upon her.

 

“That wasn't my fault,” Larraine quietly argued, though she knew her meek response wasn't very convincing.

 

“I know,” Taylor agreed. “However, I still think it would be best if you stay put and let the rest of us deal with the situation from hereon out. If you really want to do something, see if Mishka could use a hand with providing aid to the injured.”

 

“You're really only concerned with the Horde, aren't you?” she asked as he began walking again. “What about Anduin? He's still out there.”

 

“This is the best measure we can take to ensure his safety,” Taylor called back without turning around, and she stared at his retreating back feeling a mixture of anger and disappointment welling within her. She would have expected Rogers to ignore everything in order to focus on the Horde's presence around them, but with how concerned Taylor had seemed when he discovered what had happened with Anduin she had thought he would be putting together a search party to go looking for him.

 

With a frustrated sigh, she turned on her heel and made her way back to Fang, who had taken up Sully's spot next to where Rell was laid out on a cot, still deeply unconscious. More guilt flooded her heart as she reached out and took his hand, only to find it practically as cold as death already. She had wanted to bring Anduin back not only in order to keep him safe, but so that he might also heal Rell's injuries and ensure his recovery. The only thing giving her any hope that Mathias' right hand had even the slightest chance of recovery was the almost imperceptible rise and fall of his chest as he continued to breathe.

 

After a few minutes of silence, she heard footsteps approaching. She listened carefully, trying to determine who is was, but the weight of the footfalls was unfamiliar to her ears, and she could tell whoever is was that came to stand behind her was hesitant to approach her. Once the person had stopped, they remained silent a good while, and Larraine kept her gaze upon Rell's unnaturally-pale face as she waited for them to speak up.

 

“Miss?” came the voice of one of the jinyu. It took her a moment to realize it was Little Lu was was addressing her, but when she recognized the voice she turned her head slightly to look at him.

 

“The admiral has asked that I watch over you for today,” he explained, taking a seat next to her.

 

“He's _that_ desperate to keep me from going to look for Anduin again, is he?” she scoffed, turning back toward Rell.

 

“I think he's more concerned that you might end up getting hurt,” Lu remarked, gently placing one of his hands upon her shoulder. “He and your other friends were worried when you showed up the way you did. I'm sure he's only trying to protect you and keep you safe by asking you to stay here.”

 

The two of them sat together in silence for a long while, and Larraine could hear Sully's loud voice as he talked to various members of the village and attempted to coax them into helping with offers of a drinking party following their victory. She shook her head and laughed a little, wondering how the dwarf could be so jovial given the situation they were all in, then gave Rell's hand one more gentle squeeze before standing up.

 

“Would you like to help with the fishing?” Lu offered, standing alongside her. “Or, if you like, we could assist in preparing this evening's meal.”

 

“Why?”

 

“When I am worried about something, I find it is best to keep myself occupied,” Lu replied.

 

“I need to get back out there to Anduin,” she protested, but he grabbed her hand before she could walk away.

 

“Just for today, why not rest here?” he asked. “Even if you return to where you previously found him, he will already be gone.”

 

“I can track him. It's what I do,” she pointed out, gesturing toward Fang.

 

“And if you _do_ find him? What makes you think he won't just trick you again?”

 

“He wouldn't...”

 

The protest died in her mouth and she slowly sat back down on the ground. She never would have believed Anduin would do something as underhanded as using a mind control spell on her, but he had proven her wrong. She doubted he would do it _twice_ , but a part of her had to admit Lu could be right. Her head throbbed softly as she contemplated what would be her best move and she instinctively brought a hand up to massage her temple.

 

“Does your head hurt?” Lu asked, genuine concern in his slightly garbled voice. “Should I have a healer come to examine you?”

 

“I... maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea.”

 

She wanted to say no, but she recalled Anduin telling her that she'd shown up to his makeshift camp with a concussion. She knew he was a competent healer, but he hadn't been eating or sleeping properly and while she didn't want to doubt his abilities even the slightest amount she knew that his powers likely hadn't been at their full strength. She also wondered if perhaps him using that mind control spell on her might be the cause of the headache she felt coming on, which was yet another reason she knew she was going to give him a _very_ stern talking to when she finally tracked him down again.

 

Lu returned shortly with one of the jinyu who had taken up the healing arts in order to support the villagers who were fighting against their hozen enemies. The healer seemed nervous, and apologized in advance for not being very highly skilled, but Larraine assured him that it was fine and she was alright with leaving herself in his capable hands. The jinyu smiled and examined her, then gave a single nod and stood next to Lu.

 

“Well?” Larraine grumbled impatiently, and the healer blushed as he turned to instead address her.

 

“You seem to be in perfect health,” he informed her with a slight bow. “I did not find any sign of injury. Might I suggest that your pains are being brought on merely by the situation at hand rather than a physical ailment?”

 

He sounded unsure of the diagnosis, though he'd been confident when he stated that there was nothing wrong with her health, and Larraine frowned and let out a heavy sigh as she looked back at Rell lying before her.

 

“It's what we call a 'stress headache,'” she told the novice healer. “When someone is deeply worried about things, it can cause them to experience a headache.”

 

“Oh! You should not let things worry you so much!” Lu suddenly exclaimed, and Larraine turned her head to find both of the jinyu next to her staring at her with a mixture of concern and fear in their eyes.

 

“I will make you an herbal tea to help you relax,” the healer suggested, prompting Lu to nod fervently. “Then you should rest.”

 

Larraine was thoroughly confused at their reaction to her explanation. Surely, something as bad as a headache wasn't something to go so worked up over. Then again, she didn't even know if the jinyu even _got_ headaches. They seemed to be blowing things vastly out of proportion, but her head was starting to throb more by the minute so she wasn't in the mood to protest. Deciding to just accept their hospitality, she gave the healer a nod and he immediately ran off to another part of the village.

 

“You should have a proper bed to rest in,” Lu told her, holding out his hand. Larraine took it and he carefully helped her to her feet before wrapping her arm around his and setting off at a leisurely pace away from Rell's resting spot.

 

“Um?” Larraine muttered, looking from their linked arms to Lu's face.

 

“Is this not the way your people walk?” he wondered. “I was Rell walking with Amber this way before, and then the one called Taylor also walked with her like this.”

 

She let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head a bit. “Usually, it's only people who are close to one another who walk like this. But sometimes someone will do so for another if they seem unwell or unsteady on their feet, so... thank you, Lu.”

 

His cheeks turned a soft shade of pink and he nodded as they quietly walked together, and after a moment Larraine realized they were headed toward the home of the village elder. She was about to ask him what they were doing, but then he spoke up once more.

 

“You may sleep in my bed,” he informed her. “I doubt it is anything like your beds back home, but I hope it will provide you some comfort.”

 

“What about you?” she asked, slightly worried.

 

“I am to help keep watch tonight, so it is of no inconvenience for me,” he assured her, then he gave her a curious look after she let out a somewhat relieved sigh.

 

“Is something wrong?” he asked, peering at her curiously.

 

“Uh... No,” she quickly assured him, shaking her head. “It's just that, in our culture, men and women generally don't share beds unless they're, um... involved.”

 

“I see.”

 

Silence fell over them, and Larraine looked over to find the color in Lu's cheeks had increased considerably.

 

“I did not mean anything by making my offer,” he finally said after a bit. “I wished only to show hospitality.”

 

“I understand, Lu,” she said, standing on her toes a bit to kiss one of his blushing cheeks. “Thank you. You're very sweet and considerate.”

 

“I have your tea.”

 

Larraine turned around when she heard the voice of the healer who had looked her over, and he came over to them cradling a small bowl in his hands. She nodded in thanks once he reached them and accepted the offered drink, then stared at it for a moment before carefully drinking it down. To her relieved surprise, it tasted like normal tea, though perhaps a bit milder in flavor from the ones she'd had at home. Almost as soon as she finished it, however, she felt an increased sense of relaxation taking over her body.

 

“That's some effective tea, right there,” she remarked as she handed the bowl back to the healer. “I'm already starting to feel its effects.”

 

The healer seemed pleased by her words and gave her a bow before retreating back to his place among the villagers, and Lu resumed in escorting her to his bed in order to allow her to rest. Larraine still had reservations about whether or not she was doing the right thing, but she hadn't truly gotten a proper night's sleep since arriving in Pandaria and she knew she would need to be in top form if she ever hoped to track Anduin down again.

 

Once they reached the place where he slept, Lu gestured for her to make herself at home before leaving her alone. Larraine thanked him quietly as she took in the sight of the giant clam shell which made up the jinyu-style bed. The bottom half held a sort of large cushion which appeared to be made from large leaves, and she was pleasantly surprised to find they were filled with something soft – perhaps feathers from the local birds she'd seen flying around the jungle.

 

With a sigh, she laid down on the bed and reached out with one hand toward Fang. He immediately came to her side and nuzzled her palm before taking up his own spot on the floor next to her, and she smiled a little to herself as she closed her eyes. It didn't take long for whatever sedative properties the tea had to take effect, and soon she found herself sinking into the darkness of a deep sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

A scream woke her suddenly, her eyes snapping open as the sound pierced the air around her and rang in her ears. She bolted upright in bed, instantly recognizing the voice as Amber's. She wasn't entirely sure, since she had been asleep, but she thought she heard the other woman crying out Rell's name and it sent her heart racing even before the rushed out of the elder's home to go see what had happened.

 

She paused briefly when she saw the morning sun above her in the sky, registering that she'd managed to sleep through an entire night undisturbed, then ran to where Rell had been resting, expecting to find the other members of his scouting party standing around him in mourning. What she saw instead, however, caused her to stop dead in her tracks.

 

“Rell?” she said his name, her eyes going wide in surprise.

 

The night elf was awake, the color fully returned to his face, and he was embracing Amber tightly in his arms. At the sound of Larraine's voice, he turned his head – without letting go of the woman in his arms – and glared at her.

 

“You didn't bring the prince back, did you?” he asked sternly, though one of the corners of his mouth was turned slightly upward in a half-smile.

 

“I tried!” Larraine argued, stepping closer to the two of them just as Sully and Mishka arrived.

 

“He gave 'er tha slip,” Sully added, his voice strained, and Larraine was surprised to find tears in the dwarf's eyes.

 

“Stop blubbering, Sully,” Rell grumbled, though he was clearly touched by his concern.

 

“I'm sorry,” Sully apologized, wiping his face with his shirt sleeve. “It's jus' that Mishka was sure ye'd...”

 

“It is a miracle,” the draenei woman said, her voice filled with awe. “Surely, the naaru have been looking out for you.”

 

“No...” Larraine said quietly to herself, realization dawning on her. “Not the naaru.”

 

“ _I'll do whatever I can for him, I promise.”_

 

Anduin's words came to her mind, and she instinctively knew he was the reason Rell was sitting before them as he was now.

 

“Amber, get away from him,” she said firmly, and both Amber and Rell gave her a curious look. “Just do it!”

 

Rell opened his mouth to protest, but Amber placed her fingers over his lips and shook her head as she pulled away from him. As soon as she had moved away from him, Larraine looked to Fang and nodded in Rell's direction. The wolf seemed confused for a moment, but then he suddenly let out a small bark of understanding before charging toward Rell and jumping up on him.

 

“What the hell?!” Rell exclaimed when he was knocked back onto the cot he'd been resting on by the wolf, who then began rubbing his nose all over Rell's chest and neck. “Call your mongrel off, Larraine!”

 

“No can do, Rell,” Larraine protested, moving about the area to retrieve her things that she had left there the previous day. “I told him to do that.”

 

“You _what_?” Rell practically roared, struggling a bit under the weight of the animal pinning him down.

 

“Stop moving!” Larraine yelled back. “Otherwise he won't be able to pick up the scent.”

 

“What scent?” Taylor wondered, standing behind the other SI:7 members with the village elder at his side.

 

“Anduin,” she informed them. “He's the reason that Rell is awake right now.”

 

“How can ye be so sure?” Sully asked, sounding unconvinced.

 

“He promised me that he would help Rell when we got back. I think... I think he must have snuck over here sometime last night and healed Rell.”

 

“Why didn't any of us notice this?” Amber finally spoke up, looking around at the others.

 

“Er...” Sully muttered, shuffling his feet and staring at the ground as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

 

“Sully?” Amber addressed the dwarf in a low, menacing voice.

 

“I uh... I sorta feel asleep while I was watchin' over Rell last night.”

 

“You mean you passed out drunk,” Amber corrected.

 

“It doesn't matter,” Larraine spoke up before they could start arguing. “The point is, he was _just_ _here_ not long ago and as soon as Fang picks up his scent I'm going to track him down and bring him back even if I have to knock him out in order to do it.”

 

“I like your determination,” Taylor told her, “but do you really think he'd let you get close enough to do that? What's to stop him from just mind-controlling you again?”

 

It was the same concern Lu had voiced the previous day, but this time she didn't give it a second's though. Instead, she shook her head and looked at the admiral with a determined gleam in her eyes.

 

“I have to take that chance. After all, he came _here –_ to a place where he knows there are people who want to take him home – just to keep a promise he made to me. I have to trust that he won't do that to me again.”

 

“At least take someone else with you,” Taylor protested, but she shook her head.

 

“No time. Fang, you got it?”

 

Her wolf jumped down off of Rell and let out a howl, and Larraine smiled and patted him on the head.

 

“Right then, we're off!” she announced, already backing away from the rest of them as Fang took the lead and started to head in the direction Anduin had gone. She continued to smile as she gave them all a wave, then turned and rushed after Fang into the jungle. Behind her, she heard Rell angrily calling her name, but she knew she couldn't waste any more time.

 

“Sorry, Rell!” she called back, still hurrying after Fang. “I'll take the heat from Mathias when we get back. Promise!”

 


End file.
